Strained Harmony
by Sunshine Temple
Summary: After the long wait: chapter two. Written with Trimatter, this is a story of Ranma and a new job she gets... it's not exactly a manly job but that's okay, it makes for a more convincing disguise.  See what happens when Trimatter and Sunny work together.
1. Chapter 1 The Shape of Things to Come

Strained Harmony

A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.

By Josh Temple and Trimatter

Naturally, I own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at our fanfiction websites.

Other website Temple of Ranma's Senshi Seifuku

C&C as always is wanted.

Yes this is a co-writer project between both Sunny and Trimatter. That should be all the warning you need.

Chapter 1 The Shape of Things to Come

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Crossing the nearly empty street, Ranma marked off another job opportunity listed in the want ads. The warehouse job just didn't pay enough.

_"It ain't enough to live on even if I live out of my tent,"_ he groused to himself. Safely on the other side of the street, Ranma set down his oversized pack and folded the newspaper over to the next page. _"Maybe I could get a job in construction or something."_

Leaning against the brick wall, Ranma read the folded newspaper and scanned the listings. His face turned sour the more he read. _"They all pay better than waitressing, but damn, most of these ads are looking for experienced people or someone that's twenty or older."_

Sighing in disappointment, but not willing to admit defeat, Ranma continued to read the ads in hopes of finding something to his liking. Nothing presented itself; it was either not enough money or the employers wanted experience or he was too young. This left Ranma with his only option.

_"Maybe I can get a waitressin' job at one of those fancy restaurants... but that might make me be too visible... maybe a shrine maiden?" _he thought as he skimmed that particular ad_. "Damn that Nabiki."_

He was about to move on to the next page, when one caught his eye near the bottom. There was nothing especially outstanding about it, but for some reason he couldn't help but feel drawn to it.

_"Hmmm... Housekeeper/Nanny needed," _Ranma paused in his reading and checked the listing heading. _"Construction? Man, talk about being in the wrong section_,"he thought before resumed reading. _"Looking for a responsible female that is willing to do light housework and care for the needs of a young child of delicate health. No experience necessary and will train. Room and board provided with a monthly allowance. Those interested please come to..."_

_"Damn," _he swore to himself. _"Sounds like just what I need. Room, food and some spending money. The only problem is I gotta be a girl..." he paused in thought, "but it'll only be for a few months or until Akane gives me the all clear."_

He looked at the ad closer, feeling a mixture of amusement that it was in the wrong section and eeriness for no rational reason. Shaking off those feelings, Ranma looked around. _"If I gotta be a girl, I better go in disguise. The last thing I need is to be spotted by Nabiki or Huang."_

Twenty minutes later, Ranma emerged from a stall of a public restroom, female and dressed appropriately for her gender. Looking in the mirror, she double-checked the dye job she had given her hair - one she knew she botched the instant she washed the excess dye out. Instead of the jet black hair she was trying for, she had ended up with a more natural looking dark auburn color that matched her complexion better than the planned black hair would have done. Ranma studied herself in the mirror.

_"Hmmm... I need something more... something that would make it even harder to recognize me,"_ she thought as she leaned forward, examining her reflection for a moment before exclaiming, "Ah!"

Ranma knelt over her backpack at her feet and proceeded to dig through it. After a bit of rummaging, she pulled out a small case and withdrew a pair of dark-rimed glasses from them. _"I knew these would come in handy again," _she thought with a touch of mirth.

In the mirror, Ranma adjusted the fit of the fake glasses, the same ones she had used as a disguise when fooling Ryoga, then took in the newest addition to her look. _"I look like a... bookworm... or one of those geeks from the science club,"_ she regarded her reflection with a cock of the head and a critical eye. _"Perfect! Not even my own father would recognize me."_

On her way to the address given, Ranma waffled back and forth between applying or trying to find another job more suited to her tastes. It was not that she minded being a girl for a stretch of time - in fact she had already half expected it - the problem was that she was hiding as a _girl_. For some twisted reason of logic that only Ranma could fathom, hiding out as a man would have been less... unmanly. In the end, standing outside her destination, the decision was made for her when the dark clouds overhead whispered of thunder.

_"What the heck,"_ she concluded as she looked up at the modern and expensive looking apartment building. _"At least it'll get me out of the rain."_

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Slightly nervous, Ranma carefully placed her heavy pack by the doorway off to one side where it wouldn't be stepped on, and knocked on the nicely varnished wooden door. Shifting from one foot to the other, trying to calm her nerves, she idly noted how expensive the interior of the building was. It was while waiting for the door to be answered, she realized that she needed to think of how she was going to present herself.

_"I can't go in speaking like I do_ _- if I do that, I'll never get the job,"_ she thought as she took in her surroundings more. _"And by the looks of this place, they're either looking for someone with class - a lotta class - or a sensitive girly-girl type."_

Ranma considered knocking again, but got side tracked by trying to decide how to act. _"Heh, maybe I should act like Kasumi or ask Akane to knock me on the head... Hey! That's it! I'll just act like I did when I got knocked in the head and thought I was a girl! Perfect!"_

Before she could cackle at her cleverness, the door opened unexpectedly, causing Ranma to slightly jump. There, on the other side, was a tall woman with long green hair and magenta eyes. She looked Ranma in the eye before looking her up and down, then she returned her gaze to match Ranma's. The green-haired woman was dressed rather sharply and sported a slight smirk on her face - the type that one has after hearing a secret joke or something.

"May I help you?" the woman asked in an odd mixture of authoritativeness and gentleness in her tone.

Blinking, Ranma tore her eyes from the woman and came back to herself. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said in her best 'Ranko' voice as she bowed. "I didn't mean to stare."

"That's all right," the woman said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Are you here about the position of Nanny?"

"Er.. yes ma am," Ranma replied. "I saw your ad and came right over."

"Please come in."

Following her host, Ranma couldn't help but be captivated by how this person moved, causing the knee-length hair to sway with each step. Asserting some self-control, Ranma looked past the woman and took in her surroundings. She noted that the apartment was richly furnished as she half-expected it to be and concluded that whoever this woman was, she was loaded.

All too soon, Ranma was sitting across the table from her host, with a tea service between them. The green-haired woman now took on a business-like air, which was why Ranma was caught off guard when the green-haired woman introduced herself so casually. "My name is Meioh Setsuna, and you are?"

"Er, I'm..." Ranma paused as another problem presented itself: To give her real name or not? Better to play it safe and stick to something she was already familiar with; it was less confusing that way. "My name is Saotome Ranma. I'm very pleased to meet you and I thank you for asking me in."

"Quite all right," Setsuna said as she offered Ranma a cup of tea. "You are kind of young to be looking for a full time job like this. Aren't you still in school and does your family know?"

_"Oh crap!" _Ranma thought loudly to herself. Using the natural break that is involved when sipping tea, her mind raced for an acceptable excuse. During Ranma's mental grasping, she missed the bemused expression on her host's face. Finally, after a short wait, Ranma came up with something that was essentially the truth. "Um, I've been having... problems at home...," she said lamely.

"I see," Setsuna said with that secret-type smirk on her face. "What are your qualifications?"

"My what?"

"Your qualifications. What can you do?" she clarified as she sipped her own tea.

"Oh. Well, I can cook, clean and..." Ranma paused as she thought of the lazy, bedridden boy that she tried to get to go outside and the various other 'problem children' she had dealt with in the past. "I've had some experience with kids," she said with some confidence.

"What experi- oops," Setsuna said as she expectedly spilled some hot tea in Ranma's direction. "Did I get you wet?" she asked her guest as she took several napkins and wiped up the mess.

"N-n-no, I'm fine," Ranma said from her new spot, perched atop the back of the chair.

"My apologizes for being so clumsy," Setsuna said as she wiped the last of the spill. "Now, where was I? Oh yes. What experiences have you had with children of... weakened health?"

"Er... I ain't- that is, I'm not a nurse or anything" Ranma replied while reclaiming her seat. "What's wrong with him?"

"Her," Setsuna corrected. "She has a weak constitution-" she stopped when she noted the blank stare of her guest. "She is physically weak and gets tired easily."

"Oh. Well that can be helped with some exercise," Ranma said offhandedly. "I know some things that will build her up real quick and-"

"You don't understand," Setsuna interrupted. "She isn't that strong to begin with."

Ranma pondered that. She switched from being in a 'interview mode' to a 'martial arts mode' without being aware of it. Her speech reflected that as she spoke her thoughts. "Well... there's some of the softer arts... like tai-chi and stuff... that might help build her up without tiring her." She puzzled over the problem a bit more. "I'm sure that there ain't nothing that can't be helped with a little work and a lot of time."

Setsuna smiled at the auburn-haired girl. "Would you like to hear me outline some of the duties of the job to see if you are interested?"

"Um, yes please," Ranma said, this time with her 'Ranko' lilt.

"As nanny, your job will be basic housekeeping, some cooking, and errand running," Setsuna explained. "But those are only your minor duties. Your most important duty will be attending to the wellbeing of my ward, Hotaru. This means escorting her to and from school, assisting her in school work and any extra-curricular activities."

Ranma felt a slight sinking feeling in her stomach, the kind one gets when they find themselves in over their heads.

"Most important to me," Setsuna said firmly while locking eyes with Ranma; Ranma was captured and captivated by those magenta eyes. "I looking for someone who can help Hotaru get stronger and healthier. As I said earlier, her constitution is weak and I worry about her health."

Thinking a moment, Ranma unexpectedly came up with a reasonable response. "Er, Miss Setsuna, it seems that you are looking for a professional. I don't think that I'm what you're looking for."

"That may seem true," Setsuna said smoothly. "But the problems that I have been encountering with professional help is that they either don't want to deal with someone as frail as Hotaru, or they don't understand and fear Hotaru's - gift."

"Gift?"

"Yes... Hotaru is a special child - and because of that people are leery of her," Setsuna explained with a note of sadness in her voice. "It has made her all but an outcast."

"What is her, er, gift?"

"She can heal a person's wounds by touching them."

Ranma waited for that other shoe to drop. After a long moment of staring at her host, it was now obvious that nothing more was coming. "That's it?" Ranma finally asked.

"Well... occasionally, she seems to have visions of the future, but I haven't had time to really explore that claim."

Ranma mentally sighed. Why was it that the rich ones were always the weirdest. Part of her wanted to leave and find something else, but... if she could put up with Picolet and Madame St. Paul and their martial arts eating, then she could put up with one little girl. A bizarre little girl maybe, but a little girl none the less.

"I don't have a problem with that," Ranma said. "I've seen some pretty weird stuff."

Setsuna smiled at the younger girl. "Would you like to meet her?"

Blinking a few times, Ranma answered with a nod.

"Hotaru, would you please come in here?" Setsuna called out.

Soon they were joined by what looked to be a ten year old girl with neat, shoulder-length dark purple, almost black, hair. She was thin and willowy, and she looked as delicate as Setsuna had described. She had an air of indescribable sadness about her, as if she was trying to fade into the background as not to be noticed. Though the young girl avoided eye contact, Ranma managed to catch a glimpse of the dark purple color of Hotaru's eyes.

"Hello, I'm Ranma," the currently auburn-haired girl greeted.. "You must be Hotaru."

"Yes ma'am," the small, short-haired girl said.

Without batting an eye, Ranma smiled at the smaller girl. "Don't worry, I don't think you're a freak or anything."

Hotaru gave Ranma a thin, guarded smile as she looked up. "R-really?" she asked in a voice filled with hope.

"Nah. I've seen some real strange stuff," Ranma said candidly. "What you've got, er - what you have is nothing compared to some of the things I've seen."

"Like what?" Hotaru asked with curiosity.

"Er, well... I know someone who keeps an alligator as a pet."

"What so strange about that?"

"She named it Mr. Turtle and keeps it in the koi pond."

"That doesn't seem very strange," Hotaru pointed out.

Not one to back down from a challenge, even one that wasn't really given, Ranma continued. "Okay, how about this: I fought the Eight Headed Orochi in Ryugenzawa - almost got eaten by him too."

"You lie," Hotaru said softly as she smiled at what she thought was a playful tease.

"No, I ain't," Ranma gently insisted. "There was also a cursed bathing suit that I had ta... well, never mind that one. I did have to fight this goofy lookin' bird called a Phoenix that nested on top of some idiot's head." Then Ranma muttered, "Darn beak, hurt like heck too."

Hotaru let out a small giggle.

"The toughest one so far has been Pantyhose," Ranma said offhandedly as she fell into bragging. "He fell into the Spring of the 'Yeti Riding a Bull, Holding an Eel and a Crane' now he looks like a winged bull when he gets splashed with cold water. You want to talk about someone with a bad attitude... we darn near beat the tar outta one another, but I put his lights out..."

Hotaru blinked at Ranma. "Huh?'

Ranma blinked in return and stared at Hotaru for a moment. "Never mind," Ranma said with a wave of the hand. "You see, compared to the things I've been through, your gift is pretty neat because it doesn't blow stuff up."

"O-kay," Hotaru carefully responded. "You blow things up?" she curiously asked.

"Not that I mean to," Ranma found herself replying without thought. "I just happen to get caught up in stuff that always seems to explode in my face."

"Like Family problems?" Setsuna asked with just a hint of sarcasm.

"Er... yeah. That's one way of looking at it," Ranma admitted. "It seems all my problems come from my family. Er... like my problems with cats and stuff," Ranma muttered the last while mentally adding, _"stupid Pops."_

"What's this about cats?" Setsuna asked.

"Um... I'm... ummm... I'm allergic to c-c-cats! Yeah, that's it," Ranma said unconvincingly. "I get sick just thinking about them."

I see," Setsuna said in a tone that hinted at something more. "It does seem to be a common allergy."

"You're allergic to cats?" Hotaru asked. "My friends have cats, does that mean I can't play with them?"

"No. No, not at all," Ranma responded. "Er, my allergy is... um... different. It's kinda like, er, a... ahhh... I get sick when I see them sorta thing."

"How can looking at a cat make you sick?" Hotaru asked with the innocence of the twelve year old she was. Setsuna sat and quietly watched the exchange with a bemused look on her face, one she had been wearing for most of the conversation.

"Er... it's not quite sick," Ranma bumbled out. "It's kinda like... I get... er, a little... um, scared."

Hotaru looked up at the teen and blinked at the admission. "You're scared of cats?"

"Um... yeah."

"But why? They're so cute," Hotaru said in a voice just filled with curiosity.

"Um... would ja, er, I mean, would you believe a training accident as a child?"

Hotaru gave her prospective nanny a doubtful look.

"I'm serious," Ranma insisted. "I got... er, mauled by a bunch of hungry c-cats when I was a kid and... I've been... scared of them ever since." For some reason, the obvious admission seemed hard for Ranma to make.

"How horrible," Hotaru said with sympathy.

"Mauled by hungry cats?" Setsuna piped in with a smirk. "What happened? Were you covered in fish cakes and thrown into a pit with them or something?"

"How'd ja-kno-, er, I mean," Ranma's brain slipped out of gear for a moment before re-engaging. "Something like that," she finally said, feeling a little creeped out about the green-haired woman. She slipped into 'Ranko' mode and spoke, "Let's just say it was an... unpleasant experience that I never recovered from."

"You poor girl," Hotaru said with the same sympathy as before, she surprised Ranma by giving her a hug as if to make it all better.

"Er, thanks Hotaru," Ranma said with a mixture of unease and genuinely being touched by Hotaru's gesture.

"Very well," Setsuna said business-like. "You don't have to worry, we have no pets here. Is there anything else we should know?"

"Umm..." Ranma's mind stalled as she considered saying that she was allergic to hot water, but dismissed it as pushing her luck. "No ma'am, I think that covers most everything." Ranma mentally added with some bitterness, _"Everything that doesn't involve curses, multiple fiancees, and a freaky rich guy that's 'bought' you as a slave. Stupid Nabiki."_

Setsuna turned to Hotaru. "What do you think about Miss Saotome?" She asked.

"I like her," Hotaru replied. She then gave Ranma a warm smile. "She's nice."

"I agree. I think you will do," Setsuna announced to Ranma. "You seem to have a certain way about you. You are not frightened by Hotaru's gifts, and you seem like someone that I can trust with her well being. Would you be interested in accepting the position of Hotaru's nanny?""

Being surprised at being offered the job, especially one she felt like she was over her head in. Ranma had to blink a few times before answering. "Oh yes I would," she replied in her 'Ranko' voice. "When do you need me to start?'

"Tomorrow would be fine," Ranma's new boss replied. "Here," she said as she rose from her chair, "let me show you around."

For the next fifteen minutes Setsuna showed Ranma around the large apartment. Hotaru tagged along and added a few comments on where everything was as enthusiastically as only a child can do. Soon Ranma was escorted to the back of the apartment to what would be her room. It wasn't as big as the room she had at the Tendos', but she didn't have to share it with a part-time panda either. After a few more minutes of small talk, Setsuna excused herself and ushered Hotaru to her own room since it was starting to get late.

Ranma was alone in her new home.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Ranma sagged against the wall of her room and relaxed. The relief she felt over getting a job, that also doubled as a good hideout, was tempered by the fact that, during the interview, she was almost hit by hot water no less than three times. _"I'm gonna have to do something about that," _she thought with an edge. _"I can't be turnin' into a guy - especially with Hotaru around."_

Ranma pondered the problem. She knew of one way of temporally locking the curse, but the ladle and kettle were in China with Herb and she had neither the time nor the inclination to go there and get them. Besides, the chances of Herb lending them to her were practically nil. _"There's gotta be a way... dammit, it's like once I solve one problem, another takes i's place." _

Ranma ran through other options and didn't like where those led either. They had the advantage of being closer to her new home, but that meant running the risk of running into certain people she'd rather avoid at the moment. _"It can't be helped,"_ she concluded. _"I can't spend my time between doing my job and watching for hot water. Whether I like it _or_ not, I gotta go get some of that waterproof soap or something to keep me a girl. I don't like it, but I gotta be sneaky about it."_

With that course of action firmly in mind, Ranma mentally began her plan of attack in acquiring what she needed.

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In the deep shadows on the buildings and alleyways, a shadow slinked in the darkness of a moonless night. Slipping out of Setsuna's apartment was no problem and making her way back to Nerima was a cinch, it was the coming raid on the Cat-Cafe that had Ranma's nerves on edge. Although she did not know it, all her elaborate planning for breaking and entering without alerting the inhabitants of said cafe were for nothing; the Amazons had left the day before searching for her, so there was no one home when Ranma entered through a second-floor window.

Exiting the building a few moments later with a bag filled with plunder, Ranma decided to take a minor detour on her way back to her hideout.

Leaving the bag of ill-gotten goods on the roof, Ranma swung down and hung from the overhang outside of a certain tomboy's bedroom window and tapped softly on the glass. She repeated the process a few times before the curtain was shoved aside and a sleepy short-haired girl peered out the window, almost looking at her eye to eye. Blinking a few times, Akane cracked open the window and addressed the upside down girl.

"Yes?" Akane asked not quite awake enough to realized what was truly going on.

"Akane, it's me," Ranma said lowly.

The short-haired girl blinked a few times before narrowing her eyes. "Are you a fiancee of Ranma's?" she asked sharply. "Well he isn't here and I don't know where he is."

"Akane, it's me," Ranma repeated a bit louder and firmer than the last.

Akane's sleepy eyes widened when she finally realized who was hanging outside her bedroom window. "Ranma!" she hissed lowly under her breath. "What are you doing here? What happened to laying low for a while?"

"I was in the neighborhood getting some things," Ranma explained in a whisper while dangling from the roof. "And I wanted to see... how things were going."

Looking left and right conspiratorially needlessly, Akane leaned toward Ranma and lowered her voice. "It's still the same as it was four days ago when you left," she said. "Huang is still here, and still wants you for his personal slave."

"I didn't think that showing him my guy side would backfire like that," Ranma said sourly. "Who would have thought that he had a thing for girls and guys?"

"Ssshhh," Akane admonished. "Keep it down. Anyway, he has even hired some private investigators to look for you."

"Great," Ranma whispered bitterly. "What about Nabiki? She started this mess."

Akane bit her lip in thought before answering. "Well... she said she was sorry and didn't think that things would have gotten out of hand like they did... but you know Nabiki."

"Yeah, and I wished I didn't."

"Well she really didn't expect that the guy who bought you in Hong Kong to be rich enough to bother us here," Akane said, somewhat feeling the need to defend her sister. "But... I think she is looking for you too, so she can collect the reward."

"Well, tell her the next time she gets in a ten yen battle with someone, she's on her own," Ranma hissed out. "What about my pop and yours?"

"Well, daddy is worried about the schools being joined - your dad keeps going back and forth between 'being proud that you mastered the Saotome Secret Technique' and trying to negotiate a higher price for you with Huang."

Ranma stared at her fiancee for a moment and seemed to sag in the direction of gravity. "Great. Just great."

A silent moment fell between the two that told Ranma that there was something more.

"What?" she asked, having the feeling that the other shoe was about to drop.

"Um... it's about Nabiki," Akane said lowly. "She's... she's also been trying to move the engagement over to her."

"WH-" Ranma loudly began, only to have Akane's hand pressed against her mouth, silencing her.

"Do you want to wake the house and have her find you here?" Akane hissed.

Ranma exhaled, causing her cheeks to poof out; she then shook her head slightly and Akane removed her hand. "Why?" Ranma asked.

"It's not so hard to figure out," Akane said." You're an 'asset' and a 'money making investment' now," she explained with a certain amount of contempt. "She's probably planning on buying and selling you... or at least renting you out."

Ranma shook her head. "She has some nerve - well, it's not like she hadn't done that before. Don't tell me pops is going along with this?"

With sagging shoulders, Akane nodded sadly. "I think Nabiki promised him a percentage of the profits."

In an effort to rein in her anger, Ranma counted to ten. Then twenty. She was almost calm enough not to hunt down her father and kill him by the time she got to forty. By fifty she was much calmer and only seeing red. Seventy-five rolled around and Ranma was just fuming enough to be able to hear what Akane was saying.

".. you all right?"

"Just... dandy..." Ranma replied through tightly pursed lips. This bit of news was highly unwelcomed, it meant that it was likely that Ranma wouldn't be able to return home to the Tendos' as soon as she hoped. She exhaled. "Thanks for the warning... now I gotta watch out for pops and well as Nabiki and Huang."

An uncomfortable silence followed.

"So... where are you staying?" Akane asked.

"I ain't telling."

"What!" Akane whispered loudly. "You come here, wanting my help, and you don't trust me?"

"It's not that!" Ranma replied in an equally loud whisper. "I've been thinking."

Akane gave Ranma a doubtful look.

"Look, if I tell you where I am, chances are that the Amazons would try and get it out of you," Ranma explained.

"I'd never tell them anything," Akane said firmly.

"I know you wouldn't... willingly. But what if they try something like that memory stuff? Mess with your head? Make you tell them without knowing it?"

Akane blinked a few times. She hadn't thought of that. "I... see. I can't tell them what I don't know." She then looked at Ranma for a moment. "Well, how am I supposed to get in touch with you then?"

"I dunno right at the moment," Ranma confessed, then an idea struck her.

"Say, is the class trip to Tokyo Tower still on in a few weeks?"

Akane replied with a nod.

"Well, I'll meet you there... say the top observation deck. I should have something figured out by then."

"Okay. I'll see you then, but be careful."

"I will," Ranma said with a smile. "Er, say Akane?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks for, ya know, helping me and everything... and stuff," Ranma awkwardly stammered out.

Akane smiled broadly. "You're welcome."

Soon Ranma was gone to parts unknown, leaving behind Akane, who was snuggled back down in her bed. A warm feeling of contentment flowed through her at the thought of actually helping Ranma for once without making matters worse. Hugging her pillow as she drifted back to sleep, she basked in the feeling. It was nice.

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Slipping through the apartment window, even one that was as high up as Setsuna's, was child's play for Ranma. Silently crossing her new quarters, Ranma gently turned on a small desk light and nervously looked around. She breathed a sigh of relief when she discovered that she was alone and her room appeared to have been undisturbed. Ranma then placed the dirty-brown bag on the desk and examined her 'take' for the night.

The first thing was the water-proof soap. She had found two and a half boxes in Shampoo's room._ "I wonder where the other bars of soap were?" _Ranma silently mused as she pulled out the second, larger box from the bag. It was a small, wooden box that resembled a miniature crate. Ranma fingered the Chinese lettering on the top with apprehension. _"Instant Curse Spring of Drowned Girl," _Ranma read to herself and sighed. _"Either one will keep me safe from hot water and I have enough to last me a while. Damn. I wished that... damn that Nabiki."_

Controlling her anger at the situation she found herself in, Ranma carefully placed the boxes of soap and instant spring water safely in the bottom of her pack, then set the pack in her closet. _"They should be safe there,"_ she thought as she settled into her futon and looked at the clock. _"Better get to bed if I'm gonna beat everyone to the bath tomorrow- after that, I won't have to worry about hot water anymore."_

Rising before the morning sun, Ranma crept into the apartment's large bath. Unlike many apartments that Ranma had seen, where the bath and furo were tiny - only big enough for one, this one was large. While not as large as the one at the Tendos', it was still large enough to accommodate at least two - maybe three people. Lathering herself up using cold water and the waterproof soap, Ranma effectively locked herself in her girl form - at least temporarily.

_"There, that should do it,"_ Ranma thought. _"If I ration it enough, I should be able to stay a girl and hide more than long enough for things settle down. Once everything returns to normal, I'll deal with Nabiki - somehow."_

After rinsing the last of the waterproof soap off and stowing it away in a small soapbox, Ranma eased herself into the warm water of the furo. Though she expected not to change, the fact that she was still a she, soaking in warm water lent an air of alienness to her already new surroundings. In spite of this, Ranma was intent on relaxing before starting her first full day as a nanny.

Unfortunately, life had other plans for Ranma.

"Miss Saotome!" chimed Hotaru as she slid the door to the bath open. "Good morning!"

"ACK!" Ranma squealed in surprise, almost submerging herself.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you," Hotaru said sincerely. Thankfully, she was wearing a bathrobe.

"N-no... I'm fine," Ranma stammered. "I wasn't expecting anyone to be up this early."

"Okay," Hotaru said softly as she slipped out of her bathrobe and onto a washing stool. Ranma panicked, averted her eyes and watched the ripples in the bath water as a distraction - which was a good plan until Hotaru asked, "Miss Saotome, would you please wash my back for me?"

"H-huh?" Ranma asked dumbly, panic gripping her heart.

"Could you wash my back? Aunty usually does it, but she isn't up yet,"

Hotaru explained as she sat patently waiting, her back to Ranma.

_"Oh crap,"_ Ranma thought. _"Oh crappity, crappity, crap."_

"Miss Saotome?" Hotaru said. "Is everything all right? I... I'm sorry. Did I offend you or anything?"

The hurt in the young teen's voice snapped Ranma out of her self-crappity thoughts and forced her to refocus on the needs of Hotaru. "Um... No! Of course not! I was... surprised, yeah, like you said. I'm just, er... used to bathing alone - yeah, that's it, and I wasn't expecting anyone. Yeah, right, uh-huh. That's all."

"Oh," Hotaru said plainly, the hurt in her tone still there. "If you want me to, I'll leave."

"No!" Ranma exclaimed while rapidly shaking her head. "Er, don't do that. It's my problem. Besides, I'm supposed to help take care of you... and we're all, ahh... girls here - er, right?" Ranma stammered.

"Okay," Hotaru replied. "But I wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable."

"It's okay," Ranma said with determination. She wasn't going to let some stupid fear of nudity stand in the way of doing the right thing. Stepping from the furo with water sheeting off her body, she knelt down behind Hotaru and soaped up a wash rag. "Let me get your back for you - I want to help you."

"Thank you," Hotaru said while looking over her shoulder, gracing Ranma with a wide smile. Soon Ranma was soaping up the smaller girl's back and making some observations about the girl who she was charged with taking care of.

_"Good lord, she is so pale - does this kid get outside any at all?_" Ranma wondered as she rinsed the smaller girl off. She went from being freaked out about being around a naked girl to analyzing her physical development. _"I know a lot of girls like to have pale skin, but this is almost pasty. Hmmm... She does have some muscles, but their tone is very soft... almost like a baby's."_ She peeked at Hotaru's ribs. _"She's getting enough to eat, so she ain't starvin' or nothin', but she doesn't seem to have the layer of fat that a lot of girls her age should be gettin'."_

Ranma frowned in her assessment. _"Gotta talk to Setsuna and see if Hotaru has some weird disease or if she was a 'runt of the litter'. If she is just a runt, then gettin' her outside and some exercise will definitely help."_

"All done," Ranma said as she helped Hotaru into the furo and followed her in to continue her soak. It was easier to be in the same room as Hotaru now that all of the naughty bits were safely submerged underwater.

Having calmed and gotten used to Hotaru's presence, Ranma relaxed a bit. But this was soon undone when the door to the bath slide open once again and Setsuna glided into the room. "Good morning Hotaru, Miss Saotome," she said as she let her bathrobe fall to the ground. "Did everyone sleep all right?"

While Ranma could ignore Hotaru's nudity because she was a child and mostly had her back to Ranma, it was impossible for Ranma not to see all of Setsuna in all her naked glory. To say that Setsuna was, to say the least, one of the most beautiful women that Ranma had seen would be a vast understatement. Then it dawned on Ranma that Setsuna's hair was her natural color and she clamped a hand over her nose to keep any blood from seeping out.

"I slept well, Aunty," Hotaru replied with a happy tone. "Miss Saotome already washed my back for me."

"That's good. How are you this morning?" Setsuna asked directly at Ranma, who was trying hard not to notice the many interesting jiggles that the green-haired woman had as she moved.

"Er... er... er... I gotta go get breakfast started!" Ranma announced and almost literally teleported herself from the furo, out the door, and into the hallway.

"Wow, she's so fast," commented Hotaru as Setsuna merely snickered.

1234567890987654321--

While escorting Hotaru to where she attended school, Ranma took in her surroundings carefully since street signs were hard to come by in Tokyo. The last thing she wanted was to get lost in her new, temporary home. Every so often, she would eye the much smaller girl who led the way. Hotaru was dressed in the summer version of her school uniform which meant that the red short-sleeved blouse and green skirt were shorter and the dark blue stockings only came up just short of the knees. The blouse sported a matching blue 'sailor' type kerchief that had a light blue bow in the front.

It made Ranma dread what kind of school uniform was waiting for her at Juban high. When Setsuna found out that she was not planning on attending school, Ranma was quickly admonished and pretty much ordered to attend. Setsuna made it a point to let it be known that a 'proper education' was part of the job.

_"Well, she is the boss,_" Ranma thought forlornly as they came upon a grouping of buildings surrounded by a low wall with a wrought iron gate. The words "Mugen Gakuen" were cast into a plaque that was mounted into the brick wall next to the gate.

"We're here," Hotaru announced in a small voice.

"It looks... nice," Ranma commented as she looked at the grounds of the private school.

"It's okay," Hotaru said thinly. "See you after school?"

"I'll be here," Ranma said in a surprisingly reassuringly way. "Er, can you point me in the direction of Juban high?"

"It's just down the street," Hotaru replied with some amusement. "It's just a few blocks away."

"Right, I'll see you later then," Ranma said awkwardly as they parted ways, Hotaru heading into the building and Ranma in the direction of Juban high. Less than five minutes later, Ranma found herself in front of a building that, except for the details, could have passed for Furinkan. Shrugging, Ranma entered the main building and located the office within.

The principal was not exactly what Ranma was expecting. The Schoolmaster was actually helpful, but did reaffirm what Setsuna had told Ranma earlier, that a uniform was required. Internally, Ranma balked at the thought of wearing a school - or any other type of uniform - but in the end concluded that it would help with her disguise. Then, of course, there was an unexpected twist that Ranma had not counted on which come up and resolved itself without any effort on her part.

"Oh yes," the Principal said as he was showing Ranma to the door, "Your employer, Ms. Meioh, called in and arranged for your records to be brought over from your old high school."

"S-she did?" Ranma said in surprise.

"Yes, and I already took care of the corrections," the Principal of Juban said. "I can't believe they had you down as a male... but knowing Principal Kuno like I do, he probably did that to you because you didn't cut off your pigtail."

"Er, right!" Ranma readily agreed. "He always had it out for my pigtail," she said as she absently twirled her hair.

"Rest assured we don't have any nonsense like that here," the Principal said with a smile. "I look forward to seeing you tomorrow; dressed and ready for school."

"Yes sir, I'll see you tomorrow."

At the uniform store, Ranma fingered the Juban high uniform as it hung from its hanger, and pushed back the idle thought that this might be the beginning of something bigger. _"Whoa,"_ she thought._ "I never seen a uniform look so... girly." Then _Ranma thought somewhat smugly to herself,_ "Heh, Nabiki would never suspect that I'd wear something like this," _

Unlike the uniforms of Furinkan, the Juban uniforms were similar to what Hotaru wore except in color. The blouse was white, and unlike Hotaru's, long sleeved with dark blue and red striped trim. The sailor-type kerchief was the same dark blue color as was the knee-length skirt that went along with the whole ensemble. Ranma was not particularly thrilled with the bow in the front, but justified it to herself as all being part of the disguise.

_"Oh well, Setsuna did say I had to attend school as part of the job,"_ Ranma thought somewhat forlornly as she half-sneered at the collar and bow. _"And she did give me the money for it."_

After leaving the uniform store, Ranma spent the next few hours getting acquainted with her new surroundings. You could never tell when you would need an escape route and Ranma was determined not to be entrapped by her 'master' or Nabiki. Pushing those unpleasant thoughts aside with a disgusted snort, Ranma noted the time and headed toward Hotaru's school to pick her up.

Nearing the gates, where students of various ages moved through and scattered, Ranma spied Hotaru, but something was obviously amiss. She was by one of the brick posts for the gates and she was not alone. Ranma noted a taller, slightly older boy standing over Hotaru in a menacing way. She might not have know exactly what was going on, but she knew it wasn't good. Ranma crossed the last few dozen yards almost instantaneously and came up behind the boy.

"I hope for your sake that there isn't a problem," Ranma half-growled to the boy, making him jump.

"What's it to- AHH!" the boy cried out as Ranma took his hand in hers, twisted it slightly and applied pressure.

"Yay okay squirt?" Ranma asked Hotaru.

"Yes, Miss Saotome," Hotaru replied with relief filling her voice.

"What's going on?"

"Hiro doesn't like me," Hotaru explained plainly.

"Is that so?" Ranma said to Hiro.

"It's none of you busin- AHHH!" the boy tried to answer in a defiant-laced voice, but was cut down as Ranma applied pressure.

"Well, I'm Hotaru's nanny and it is my business," Ranma sharply said.

"How are you doing that?" Hotaru asked as she watched Ranma easily subdue Hiro.

"This? It's easy," Ranma answered. "It's all about proper leverage."

"AHH!" the boy cried as Ranma applied a small amount of pressure to his hand.

"See?" Ranma said as she pointed with her free hand at the way she held the boy's hand. "It doesn't take much pressure and strength for this hold."

Hotaru nodded at the lesson as the trapped bully tried to wiggle free.

"And if you think they're gettin' too lively, you just push a bit with your thumb-"

"AHHH!"

" - and it reminds them that you have'em by the bal-, er hand,' Ranma explained. "Do you want to try now?" Ranma asked Hotaru.

"Um, I don't think I should, Miss Saotome," Hotaru replied softly.

"Think of it as a taste of stuff I'll be teaching you later," Ranma said, forgetting that this was supposed to be only a temporary hiding place until things blew over.

"Well... only if it's all right with him," Hotaru said.

"That I'm sure of," Ranma said cheerfully before looking at the boy dead in the eye; the tone of her voice dropping to sub-zero. "I'm sure he'd think of it as an apology for pickin' on you, right?"

The boy tried to free his hand again and was rewarded with a jolt of pain.

"Right?" Ranma said somewhat forcefully.

"Right! Right!" the boy agreed readily.

"Good. Now Hotaru, take what's-his-name's other hand and hold it like I'm doing," Ranma said as Hotaru tried to mimic the hold.

"Like this?"

"Almost squirt,' Ranma said, ignoring the boy who had turned sheet-white. "You need to bend his wrist back a little more."

"Like this?"

"Yeah," Ranma replied. "Not bad. Now take your thumb and press the spot between his middle and ring finger..."

"Okay."

"Press a bit harder."

"Okay," Hotaru repeated as she obeyed Ranma's direction.

"AHHH!" the boy cried out.

"See? That wasn't so hard was it?" Ranma said while releasing her grip on the boy. The boy tried to take advantage of this and make his escape, but was stopped when Hotaru applied pressure to his hand.

"AHHH!"

"You're right Miss Saotome," Hotaru said with a thin smile. "This is easy."

"Just practice that everyday and you'll have it down in no time," Ranma said, she then added dangerously to the captive boy, "I'm sure he wouldn't mind helping you with this - would you?"

"Hell yes I min- AHHH!"

"Wrong answer, idiot," Ranma admonished. "Wanna try again?"

"Okay! Okay!" the boy gave in. "Just let me go!"

"Okay Hotaru, let'im loose," Ranma said. As Hotaru obeyed, Ranma snatched the boy up, leaving him dangling in her grip. "Remember, you said you'd help. If I find that you went back on your word..." Ranma let the threat hang as she set the boy down.

Escorting Hotaru home, Ranma felt smugly satisfied with the lesson she had just dished out. Hotaru, who seemed to enjoy the turnabout, was quiet and wore a slightly thoughtful look on her face.

"Ya okay, Hotaru?" Ranma asked, picking up on the change in Hotaru's mood.

"Just wondering... did we do the right thing?"

"What'ya... I mean, what do you mean? He's a bully, I just taught him a lesson," Ranma replied.

"I know, but...," Hotaru paused in thought, soon she stopped in their walk and looked up at Ranma who had also stopped. "I admit it felt... good to do that to Hiro, but it seemed wrong at the same time."

"Whatta mean wrong?" Ranma asked perplexed. "All we did was teach him a lesson. He should know better than to bully people weaker than him."

"I know, but it seemed to me that... in order to stop others from bullying the weak, you have to be a bigger bully?" Hotaru asked.

Ranma's brain tried to process that concept, but it seemed just out of reach. "What da ya mean?"

"I mean, in order to keep Hiro from picking on me, you threatened him with worse," Hotaru explained. "Isn't that bullying? Even if you are bullying a bully?"

For some reason that made Ranma's brain jump a sprocket. She had not really looked at things that way. She had been so busy stopping the little punk from picking on Hotaru and dispensing her vision of justice that she had not even questioned her way of doing it. It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time and Hotaru did seem to enjoy getting in some payback. Now Ranma wondered if what she did was right. "What should I have done then?" Ranma asked.

"Well, maybe you should have held him while I went and got the principal," Hotaru suggested. "He is a student there and they do frown on that type of behavior."

Ranma thought about that with a sinking feeling in her gut. Then she vocalized a thought.

"But the principal wasn't around," Ranma said. "We handled it the best way we could."

"I guess so, "Hotaru said in a not quite convinced manner. "Stopping a bully is one thing, but it seems wrong to... take the law into your own hands."

Stumbling - physically and mentally - at that, Ranma tried to come up with something, anything to justify what she did. It was slightly disheartening to have the wind taken out of her sails like that, but Ranma couldn't see any way of excusing her behavior. "Okay squirt," Ranma said. "Next time I catch anyone picking on you, we'll do what you just said, get the principal or whoever involved."

1234567890987654321

"I'll be right back," Ranma told Hotaru as they entered the apartment. It had taken the better part of two weeks but Ranma had started to settle into her new duties. Part of her had not expected this job to take this much time. "Let me change and we'll grab a snack and start to work."

After receiving an enthusiastic reply from the young girl, Ranma made her way to the back of the large apartment to where her room was. There, she tiredly set her schoolbooks on her desk, sighed, and prepared for work. She removed her school uniform and hung it neatly on a clothes hanger for tomorrow's classes and took down her 'nanny uniform' and slipped it on over herself.

It roughly resembled the maid's uniform that Akane and Mr. Tendo wore during the martial arts eating thing. It was black, mid thigh-length dress that was well tailored to fit Ranma's form. It had a narrow white collar that circled the neck and, since the weather was still warm outside, was thankfully short sleeved. Over the dress, Ranma donned a plain, white apron that she wore around the apartment, but didn't have to wear when she was outside. The interesting thing about the apron was that it too was tailored to fit her form.

Next, she rolled on the white, knee-length stockings and slipped into her house slippers.

Last, Ranma secured a pendant-like broach to the front of her collar. It was a small, emerald-green jewel that was unassuming. Setsuna had insisted that she wear it because it was supposed to be a family badge that employees of Setsuna's family used to wear. Of course as old as it was, it supposedly acquired some magical protections, brought luck, had a demon trapped with it, or some such thing that old family heirlooms are supposed to acquire as they aged.

To Ranma it was just a pretty rock - not that she'd ever admit to using the word "pretty". Ranma just shrugged her shoulders and figured that it would help with her disguise since a proper nanny probably should wear one piece of jewelry. Checking her reflection in the mirror, Ranma double-checked to make sure everything was in place and was satisfied with what she saw.

Overall the uniform a blend of sophisticated and traditional styles that reflected the tastes of her employer.

Pausing just long enough to check and see if Hotaru was doing her homework, Ranma headed immediately to the kitchen to prepare some snacks. After she placed the tray of tea and rice cakes on the table, Ranma retrieved her own homework from her room and sat beside Hotaru and worked on it. Finding today's homework easy, Ranma's mind started to reflect on what her life had become over the last few weeks that she'd been here.

Usually her day started with a bath for both her and Hotaru, then she dropped Hotaru off at her school in the morning, headed to Juban High, after school she would pick up Hotaru and attend any after school activity she may have - which wasn't often, come home, have a snack, do homework, teach Hotaru Tai-chi, check Setsuna's schedule and prepare dinner if needed, then there was 'down time' where Ranma would - depending on how Hotaru was feeling - play games with her or take her out to the park to meet with friends, and all of this was followed by an evening bath and bedtime.

Truly a full time job and then some.

Most nights after Hotaru was in bed, Ranma swung up to the roof and practiced her martial arts. Though she felt she was well concealed, Ranma knew it would only be a matter of time before she was discovered and recognized - most likely by Ryoga - and all hell would break out. She was determined not to let her other skills slip while she was practicing the 'Saotome Secret Technique'.

Ranma found her life had gained a new routine. It was a routine that unexpectedly had a sense of accomplishment to it, one that Ranma found more fulfilling than, say, beating Ryoga, Kuno or Mousse. Ranma smiled as Hotaru's tongue peeked between her lips and out of the side of her mouth as she concentrated on a math problem and marveled at the young girls determination to 'get stronger'. Though Ranma had learned martial arts as a means of combat, which usually meant beating up bad guys, she was pleased that she could take what she learned and apply it to helping this one girl.

"Miss Saotome?" Hotaru asked, breaking Ranma from her musings. "What are you thinking?"

Blinking as she came back to the here and now, Ranma gave Hotaru a slight smile. "Nothing, are you through with your homework?"

"Almost," Hotaru replied. "So, who is he?"

"Who's who?"

"The boy you were thinking about," Hotaru said with mischievous eyes.

Ranma's hands spasmed a bit, making the pen in Ranma's hand fly up into the air and land on the open book in front of her. This caused Hotaru to let a dainty giggle escape through her lips.

"I knew it!" Hotaru said triumphantly. "You found a boyfriend? Who is he?"

"I-it's no one!" Ranma replied in a half-panic. Boyfriend? Gah! No way! "I was just thinkin' about what I gotta do next, that's all."

"Really?" Hotaru asked with doubt and disappointment in her tone.

"Really," Ranma said accompanied by vigorous nodding of her head. "I ain't got no- I do not have time for a boyfriend," Ranma explained. _"Gotta remember to speak proper,_" she admonished herself. _"Setsuna wouldn't like it if Hotaru ended up talkin' like me."_

"But you want one, right?"

_"Gah!"_ Ranma thought. _"What's this interest in my sex life? Oh yeah, I forgot, girls are like that - and they call guys perverts."_ Looking down on the smaller girl, Ranma smiled and formulated a response. "Nah, not really. Besides, if I got a boyfriend that would mean less time for you and we wouldn't want that, would we?"

"I guess not... but you want a boyfriend someday, right?"

"Er, yeah - um - Yes! Of course I do, but not right now," Ranma quickly replied while not trying to gag on the thought of her having a boyfriend. She was a guy! She just didn't swing that way. "Maybe after high school or something."

"Okay," Hotaru said, disappointed that her new nanny wasn't doing anything interesting boy-wise.

Ranma leaned down on the table and rested her chin in her hand, and looked at Hotaru in the eye. "Ready to learn more Tai-chi?" she asked with a lilt in her voice.

"Oh yes," came the enthusiastic reply. "And then the park?"

"Okay squirt, the park it is."

"Yay!"

1234567890987654321--

Noting that Hotaru was looking tired, Ranma suggested that they rest at an open park bench.

"But I'm fine, really I am," Hotaru half protested in a small voice.

"Well, I'm tired," Ranma said as she plunked herself onto the bench. She really wasn't, but it was the best excuse that Ranma could come up with to get her young charge to rest._ "Man, Setsuna wasn't kidding when she said that Hotaru wasn't strong," _Ranma thought as she watched the young girl sag on the bench next to her. _"We haven't even walked five miles and I can tell she's exhausted - but... I gotta hand it to her, she is determined to get stronger."_

"We'll rest here a bit and head home, okay?" Ranma said as she leaned against the back of the bench.

"Miss Saotome?" Hotaru asked lowly. "Can we stop for some ice cream on the way home?"

Still leaning back against the bench, Ranma tilted her head toward Hotaru. "That sounds like a wonderful idea," Ranma said in 'Ranko mode'. "And please stop calling me Miss Saotome, just call me Ranma. Okay?"

Hotaru smiled at her nanny before she too leaned back against the bench, "Okay, Ranma."

Ranma raised her head to better view the resting twelve year old. She realized that there was only about a four and a half year difference in age between them, but Ranma hadn't really met anyone who was in such poor physical condition as Hotaru. _"She's as frail as a seven year old,"_ mused Ranma. _"No wonder Setsuna worries about her."_

Popping her neck, Ranma felt her hair catch on something and pull. Absently, she reached back behind her to free her pigtail and felt something squishy between her fingers. Probing around a bit, Ranma drew her hand in front of her face to see what was the matter. With a confused look, Ranma noted sticky, thin, spider web-like filaments dance in the sunlight.

_"What the hell is this?" _she wondered as she reached back again to explore what was caught up in her hair. She continued to pull and prod and it only seemed to make matters worse. Something was definitely sticking to her hair near the base of her pigtail and it wasn't coming out.

"Miss Saotome!" Hotaru exclaimed. "Stop! You're making it worse!"

"What?" Ranma asked worriedly. "What's in my hair?"

"You somehow got gum in your hair," Hotaru explained. "Stop touching it, you're only working it into your hair more."

"Gum? Gah! How'd I get gum in my hair?" Ranma exclaimed as she continued to mess with her hair, heedless of Hotaru's advice.

"It looks like it came from the back of the bench," Hotaru softly said. "Someone was pretty careless with their gum."

"Great, just great," Ranma said irritably as she examined her sticky hand. "Now what I'm I gonna do?"

Thinking only for a half second, Hotaru piped up, "We can go over to Kikuko's Salon. They would know what to do."

Ranma was about to object about going to a hairdresser - it was so girly. But she did see the reasoning behind it. If anyone knew how to get gum out of hair, it would be a master of hair. Sighing, Ranma agreed. "Lead the way."

Soon the Ranma and a much reenergized Hotaru entered a small salon that was wedged in between a small grocery and a manga store. The salon was definitely geared toward the younger set with posters of idol singers on the walls and other 'teenage girly' stuff decorating the shelves and, as luck would have it, there were not many customers in the shop. Ranma's senses were assaulted by the smell of hair gel, spray, and perfume.

"Hotaru! What a pleasant surprise," a woman of twenty something called out as she swept up hair clippings from the floor. "You're a few days early for your trim - and who's this you have with you?"

"Mrs. Ayanami, this is Miss- er, I mean Ranma; she's my new nanny," Hotaru explained quickly in one breath. "Can you help her? She got gum in her hair."

"Oh no," Kikuko Ayanami said dramatically as she waved Ranma over to a chair. "We'll have a look and see what... we..." there was a long, pause. "Oh dear."

"What? What?" Ranma asked.

"I'm afraid that it is worked in rather deep," Kikuko said as she addressed Ranma's reflection. "I hate to say this... but we'll have to cut it."

"Oh," Ranma said. "So, you have to cut it. What's the big deal?"

"Ranma, that's your name, right?" she received a positive nod. "I'll have to take as much as this," she held up the pigtail for Ranma to see in the mirror, "to get the gum out."

Ranma's eyes widened when she saw how much would have to be trimmed off and scowled. It had taken a long time for him - well - her, to grow her pigtail and it had become her trademark; a trademark she kept despite the other changes she made recently. Her eyes then narrowed when she realized that she was probably thinking like a girl and hair length shouldn't matter to a guy. "Do it," she said evenly.

On that the hairdresser went into action, unbraiding Ranma's pigtail and trying to minimize the damage that the gum had done. "Good lord, how many sticks of gum are in here?" she muttered as she worked.

As Kikuko continued to untangle the gummy knots that Ranma's hair had become, Hotaru started flipping through several books that had pictures of various hairstyles in them. After digging through a few, she paused on a page and cocked her head. "Ranma? What do you think about this style?" she asked as she held the book open for Ranma to see.

It took all of Ranma's control that she had learned on her training trip not to openly retch at what Hotaru showed her. True, it was a simple cut, not too girly, and would work with the amount of hair that Ranma would have left. The big problem was that it was the same hairstyle as someone who had made her life hell and she'd rather not think about.

"Ooo... That would be prefect," Kikuko commented as she snipped a few gummy strands of Ranma's hair. "It would frame your face so nicely. The boys would definitely notice you."

"You don't like it?" Hotaru asked plainly, having caught Ranma's reaction. She could not have known that the reaction was from the hairdresser's words and not anything that Hotaru did. Though Hotaru did want her nanny to have hair that the boys would notice.

"I don't want to look like Nabiki," Ranma replied evenly at the photo of a model sporting a pageboy cut.

"Who's Nabiki?" Hotaru asked.

"Someone who made my life hel-, er... she made my life difficult," Ranma explained. "She has that kinda hair; I don't want to look anything like her."

"I'm afraid that with as much as I had to cut, we can't do much more than that," Kikuko as she studied the photo and Ranma's hair. "But we can put some mousse in it to give it more body. It would change how it looks so it wouldn't be the same."

"I don't want no Chinese Amazon stuff in my hair either," Ranma said while staring at her reflection and fingering her shortened locks. "I had enough problems with them as it is."

Hotaru and Kikuko stared at the seated girl in incomprehension.

"Miss Saot- I mean, Ranma, mousse is stuff that adds body," Hotaru said, standing next to Ranma's chair. "I think it'll make you look good."

"What's wrong with my body?" Ranma asked. "I've been told I have a great body."

"It adds body to your hair," Kikuko explained as she looked at Ranma dubiously.

"Oh."

Cocking her head to one side, Kikuko ran her fingers through Ranma's hair, making Ranma shudder as it tickled the back of her head. "You know," Kikuko said as she continued to comb Ranma's hair with her fingers, "I could give you a permanent. That would definitely be different. How long ago did you dye your hair?" she asked, having noticed the red roots in the nanny's auburn locks.

"A what?"

"A perm, dear," Kikuko said patiently. "But I need to know when you dyed your hair. If it is too soon, it'll mess up the perm."

"Oh, about a couple weeks ago, I guess. It was just some dye I put in to darken it." Ranma said.

"Oh! A perm! That would look really good on you, Ranma!" Hotaru excitedly interjected. "You'd look so pretty!"

Ranma tried not to wince at Hotaru's choice of words. He was - that is, she was a guy. Pretty is not something she wanted to be! "Um, that's a thought," Ranma stumbled out. "But I don't want anything done that would be permanent to my hair."

Hotaru and Kikuko looked at the former redhead, at each other, then back at the seated girl. "Ranma," Hotaru said, "You can get a perm undone if you don't like it. But I know you'll like it! You'll look so cute!"

"Well...," Ranma began, only to be undone be Hotaru's puppy-dog eyes of persuasion. "Umm... er... that is..."

"She is right, Ranma," Kikuko chimed in. "It would look softer and nice. It would be very feminine."

"I'm a guy-, er, I mean," Ranma sighed - and caved in. "Oh, go ahead."

"Yah!" Hotaru cheered. Ranma had the feeling that she was doomed.

Gripping the armrests of the salon chair like a condemned man awaiting execution, Ranma tried not to lose her nerve and bolt from the small establishment right then. She watched with forced detachment as Kikuko opened counters and pulled out bottles of evil smelling liquids that remind her of the smell of a certain tomboy's cooking. Once she made that connection, Ranma found herself feeling unexpectedly homesick and cursed Nabiki for making a bigger mess of her life.

With some flare, Kikuko started to work.

It was a process Ranma would not fully recall later. She remembered the odd chemical smells and the painful ways her hair was contorted, but for some reason the manipulation of her hair was also relaxing. The sensation was unlike getting your head scratched and Ranma found herself in a cozy, half sleep state. It wasn't until Kikuko announced that she was finished that Ranma came around and saw the results.

There in the mirror, a complete stranger stared back at her. Behind the stranger in the mirror, Hotaru and Kikuko both cooed in delight.

"That... that's not me..." Ranma asked in thinly controlled panic.

"You look great Miss Saotome!" Hotaru said.

"Now don't wash it for three days or the curls will come out." Kikuko advised as she put the finishing touches here and there.

"Right," Ranma dumbly said as she put a hand to her hair... the one consolation was that the style was nothing like Nabiki's. Nabiki would never have something this... girly.

"You look so pretty, Ranma! I bet all the boys will think so too," Hotaru exclaimed. She somehow hoped that this new style would help her nanny get over her apparent boy-shyness.

Ranma tried not to gag as her hand pulled away from her hair as if it were on fire.

"I may have gone a bit overboard on the curl and body, but a Nanny should have a nice style," Kikuko said.

"It's all puffy! What did you do to my bangs?" Ranma asked as she reached up again and flicked the curled ends to her hair. Ranma looked at her reflection and couldn't believe that the little springs attached to her head was her hair... or what was left of it.

Kikuko removed the cape covering Ranma and helped the nanny to her feet. Hotaru handed Ranma her glasses and as she donned them caught a glimpse of her full self in the large mirror. A young woman with adorably feminine hair and a black dress with a white collar and matching white stockings. Ranma was not wearing her apron but she could easily envision it on her feminine frame.

Being too stunned by her appearance was all that kept Ranma from looking ill.

_"Oh man_," Ranma thought. "_As if the curse isn't bad enough, now I really look like a girly-girl. Man, I'm glad pop ain't here to see this."_

"You look wonderful Nanny Ranma!" Hotaru repeated.

"Just... Ranma," Ranma said, half dazed at the fix she found herself in. How in the hell did her life come to this?

"Okay!" Hotaru happily chirped. She was thoroughly enjoying helping her nanny like this - a girl's hair was important, after all. "Ranma it is!"

"I can set you up for a monthly appointment," Kikuko said as she touched up Ranma's hair with a brush. "Same day as Hotaru comes in? That way you only need one trip?"

Still dazed and not quite all there, Ranma simply nodded her head.

"Great. Should I add your bill to Miss Meioh's tab? Or will you pay yourself?"

"Just put it on the tab," Hotaru chimed. "C'mon Ranma, let go home and show Aunty!"

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Stretched out on the couch and rubbing her tired stocking feet together, Setsuna pondered over how well Ranma had fitted into hers and Hotaru's life. It was really amazing the turn around that Hotaru had under Ranma's guidance. This was no small feat considering the lack of any positive parental role models Ranma's had in his, that is her, life.

Feeling her feet were much better after today's abuse, Setsuna stopped rubbing them and thought back to when Haruka, Michiru and she first took the reborn baby Hotaru away and the debate as to who was going to raise the child. At first, Michiru suggested that she and Haruka take in the baby, but Setsuna did not wish to burden them with a child yet. Michiru's and Haruka's capabilities were also an issue. Setsuna knew that Hotaru would need special care, and that those two might not be the best for it.

Setsuna decided that she would take Hotaru and, with the occasional help of Haruka and Michiru, raise her. Hotaru grew quickly at an astonishing speed until she reached her current, physical, age.

Setsuna's mouth drew into a thin line as she wondered how strong Ranma's and Hotaru's bond was and how well it would withstand whatever might come. She was not omnipotent, not by any stretch of the imagination. Her job was not to alter the course of time, and while she knew more than most people; it was due as much as to research and networking as it was to any... magical powers.

A prime proof of this lack of total knowledge walked into her apartment. Setsuna was not alarmed when she heard the front door being unlocked; Ranma obviously had a key and did not expect her employer to be home yet.

Setsuna walked to the foyer and immediately smiled at her ward. The young girl had been through so much pain, and it was good to see her regain some confidence and normality. Setsuna then looked at her employee and was about to congratulate her when the green-haired woman noticed Ranma's new hairdo - and did a double-take.

"Oh... my... " Setsuna paused to regain her composure; this was unexpected. "It is... very cute, but why the style change Miss Saotome?" she asked, shock and surprise slowly seeping onto her face.

"Uh... I got gum in my hair," Ranma blushed more in annoyance than embarrassment as she closed the door behind her. It seemed like every other person along the way home had to stop and comment on how 'cute' she was with her hair done up like this. Stupid girly crap.

"Isn't it pretty?" Hotaru happily asked as she and Ranma removed their shoes.

"That it is." Setsuna smiled thinly. "It certainly suits you Miss Saotome."

"Er... thanks..." Ranma sighed and tried to think what "Ranko" would say. "It's a bit much Miss Meioh but Hotaru insisted, and it is nice."

"Hair like that will take much more time to take care of," Setsuna commented.

"It will?" Ranma asked cluelessly.

"Don't worry, I'll help," Hotaru assured.

"Good, I wouldn't have my employee looking poorly. Since I got in early I'll help you with dinner Miss Saotome." Setsuna's smile grew. "You know it really is a very adorable hairstyle," she added.

Ranma felt like denying it, but didn't have the energy to. "Tell me about it," Ranma agreed tiredly as she followed Setsuna into the kitchen. Her only consolation from the whole hair ordeal was that at least her disguise had gotten better.

"How was your day?" Setsuna asked Ranma conversationally as she began to remove foodstuffs from the refrigerator.

"Oh... okay, I guess," Ranma replied as she took the vegetables from Setsuna and began washing them in the sink. "Not much happened in school... Hotaru's getting better at Tai-chi, I'm gonna probably step that up just a bit and... I'll have to double check, but I think that there is a form for you to sign."

"Oh?"

"Yah, just a permission slip so Hotaru can go on a field trip," Ranma said as she shook the remaining water off the vegetables. Thanks to the water proof soap, she didn't have to worry about changing. "I'll get it for you after dinner."

Setsuna nodded and mentally noted that Ranma was fitting into the nanny role rather quickly. As the two worked together preparing the meal, Hotaru wandered in and sat at the table and watched. "What time do auntie Michiru and uncle Haruka get here?" Hotaru asked as she watched the two prepare the meal.

"Around seven," Setsuna replied, then paused. "Oh yes, I almost forgot. We're having guests tonight."

Ranma nodded in reply as she worked on the vegetables. "How many are coming so I can set the table."

"Just two," Setsuna said.

With her apron now added to 'nanny uniform', Ranma helped put the finishing touches on dinner. Hotaru was excited that her "aunt and uncle" were coming over for a visit and was anxious to introduce Ranma to them. Setsuna had informed Ranma that Michiru and Haruka were old and very close friends and were considered family by herself and Hotaru. Since Ranma was still 'on duty' as Hotaru's nanny and she was expected to be available if and when she was needed, but it was alright for her to relax and socialize with the guests. Ranma had just completed placing the plates around the dining table when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Ranma called out to the kitchen where Setsuna was before heading down the short corridor that led to the front door. Ranma paused in front of the hall mirror just long enough to check and see if everything was in place before opening the door to greet Hotaru's aunt and uncle. Giving a polite greeting while bowing, Ranma stepped aside and ushered in, what appeared to be, a blond-haired boy and teal-haired girl.

_"They're kinda young to be Hotaru's aunt 'n uncle,"_ Ranma thought as she led the way. _"Then again, Setsuna seems kinda young to be raisin' a kid too."_

"Auntie! Uncle!" Hotaru chimed loudly as she charged the two. All three people enveloped in a mutual, warm hug. Ranma suddenly felt uncomfortable - as if she were intruding on a private moment.

"My you've gotten stronger," the blond boy said as he broke the hug. "What have you been doing?"

"My new nanny has been teaching me tai-chi," Hotaru replied happily. "She's also showing me a lot of stuff to help with my stamina so I won't be so tired."

"Oh, is that so?" The teal-haired girl said as she looked between Hotaru and Ranma, who was standing quietly by the entranceway. "I hope you're not pushing yourself too hard," she said in concern as she faced Hotaru. "I wouldn't want anything to happen to my favorite niece."

"Don't worry, auntie," Hotaru said merrily. "Nanny Ranma has been taking real good care of me."

"Hello there, I'm Tenoh Haruka," the young man said. "I'm Hotaru's - uncle."

"I'm Saotome Ranma," Ranma said as she bowed respectfully. "I'm pleased to meet you." She studied the young man. He had longish hair for a guy, but not too long - at least not as long as Ranma's had been before the 'gum incident'. He wore a neatly pressed dark colored, sports jacket and a white button up shirt. The slacks were the same dark color as the jacket. "Er, may I take your jacket?" Ranma offered, feeling awkward.

"Thanks, but you don't have to," Haruka replied offhandedly. "I'll just toss it over a chair somewhere, we're very casual here. I'd like to introduce Michiru," he said as he motioned to the girl at his side.

Ranma bowed to the green-hair girl as she considered how odd Haruka sounded. The words used were definitely masculine, but Ranma noted the almost preadolescent tone in which they were said in. Before she could contemplate anymore, Michiru addressed her.

"I heard a lot about you through Setsuna," Michiru said politely. "I hope that you are careful with Hotaru though," she cautioned. "I wouldn't want anything to happen to her."

"Auntie! Nanny Ranma is careful, if anything, she's going too easy on me," Hotaru said in Ranma's defense.

Ranma smiled and rubbed the top of Hotaru's head, mussing the hair a bit. "Thanks squirt," Ranma said as Hotaru gave a playful pout as she straightened her hair with her fingers. "But I can tell when you've reached your limit better than you can, you'll get there."

"Welcome Michiru, Haruka," Setsuna said as she entered the room. "Dinner will be in a few minutes. Ranma, could you help me carry things out?"

"Yes, ma'am," Ranma replied as she excused herself. Though it was an informal affair, Ranma felt the need to be formal - if anything to keep her from making any accidental fuax pas'.

"You forgot to set a place for yourself," Setsuna commented as she gathered the food laden plates to carry into the dining room.

"Er, I didn't think it'd be right," Ranma responded. "I mean, I'm just the nanny here."

"Ranma," Setsuna said as she handed the plates in her hands to Ranma, "You're more than a nanny to Hotaru. Yes, you are her nanny, but in the short time that you've been with her I can tell that she sees you as a friend, a mentor, and someone to look up to."

"I... am?"

"Yes, and I would like it very much if you would join us at the table," Setsuna continued as she gathered more serving plates. "And I'm sure that Hotaru's aunt and - uncle would like to get to know you better as well."

"O...kay," was all Ranma managed as a reply.

Once seated, the food was quickly passed around and things started to get more and more relaxed. Ranma found out that Hotaru's aunt, Michiru, was very artistically inclined, being able to play the violin and paint. Her aspirations to become a violinist were evident in the amount of practice she said she had. Haruka, the uncle, was charming, told jokes, but also seemed to have an underlying strong edge to him. There was no doubt that he and Michiru were a couple and it floored Ranma that both were still in school, attending the same school as Hotaru, but in a higher grade.

"So, how long have you been a nanny?" Michiru inquired politely.

"Um... not long, if fact this is my first time as a nanny," Ranma answered.

"Oh?" Haruka said with a cock of the eyebrow.

"So far, Ranma has exceeded my expectations," Setsuna said firmly. "In the short time that she has been employed, she has helped Hotaru psychically and emotionally."

The blond boy and the teal-haired girl looked at Ranma in an approving way.

"And I'm helping her too," Hotaru chimed in. "I helping her be a little more feminine; Ranma is a real tomboy."

"Really now?" Haruka said as he studied Ranma closer. "With such an adorable hairstyle, you don't seem the type that would be a tomboy."

"I was noticing that," Michiru added in. "It seems to suit you so well."

Ranma sighed, she couldn't understand it - it was just hair. "I just got it today. Hotaru suggested this style after I had to have my hair cut because I got gum in it."

"I must say that my niece has good taste in hairstyles," Haruka said as he smiled at the youngest member of the table. "How did you wear your hair before?"

"Umm... in a pigtail that came down to my shoulders," Ranma replied, not really understanding why hair was so important to a person's image.

"Well, I must say again you look adorable in it. When we came in, Hotaru said that you were teaching her tai-chi?" Michiru asked. "Have you been doing that long?"

Smiling at a more comfortable subject, Ranma replied. "Oh yes. I've been involved in martial arts all my life."

"Any good?" Haruka asked.

"I'm..." Ranma trailed off and reconsidered bragging. "Very good," she finally said with a thin smile. "I still find new stuff to learn though."

"And why tai-chi?"

"Because it is a soft art that emphasizes building strength, control and flexibility," Ranma replied. "Between that and walking, she's starting to build up some strength."

After that the conversation drifted around to various subjects from racing cars to music. Ranma found a certain irony that Haruka liked pandas and wondered if he'd be interested in having a certain one as a pet. Ranma felt more relaxed than she had in quite some time. There was no crazy Amazon busting down a wall, no arguing or prodding to get her married, no fighting over food, or any of the other things that had been part of her daily routine at the Tendo's.

After dinner was finished, Hotaru insisted on helping Ranma clear the table while idly chatting with Michiru and Haruka about various subjects that were now running from Tai-chi to school to boys. While Ranma freely conversed on the first two subjects, she carefully avoided saying much on the latter. Hotaru did notice this however, and assumed that it was due to Ranma's boy-shyness; something that she was determined to help her nanny overcome. The guests noticed as well and drew their own conclusions.

Setsuna joined in and helped carry the last of the serving dishes, placing them next to the sink for washing later. For Ranma, she was glad that her table manners were improving. When she first arrived, she slipped up for a brief instant causing her employer to raise her eyebrows. She had to fight the urge to 'eat as much as you can fast as you can' mentality that had been beaten into her over the years, but knowing that someone was judging such behavior harshly quickly curtailed it.

Soon afterward Haruka and Michiru excused themselves and departed back to their place. Ranma was still amazed that the two were on their own, being as young as they were. There was no doubt that the two were definitely a couple. By the time Setsuna and Hotaru said their goodbyes, Ranma was in the kitchen and elbow deep in the soapy water, washing, rinsing, and placing the wet dishes in a drying rack.

"Can I help?" Hotaru asked in a almost tiny voice.

"Sure can, squirt," Ranma replied with a smirk. "Grab a towel and start drying."

Both girls were efficiently washing and drying; Ranma would do the cleaning and pass the plates to Hotaru who wiped them dry with a clean, soft towel. Watching and smiling inwardly, Setsuna was pleased that Ranma and Hotaru were getting along so well. The change in Hotaru in such a short time was better than she could have hoped for. Ranma fumbled around with the dishes in the sink and felt something flatter than it should be.

"Ahh!" Ranma screamed involuntarily; the pain was sharp and intense. Withdrawing her hand from the dishwater, a crimson mark ran across where her fingers joined the palm of her hand.

"Are you all right?" Setsuna asked in concern as she rushed to Ranma's side.

"Yah," Ranma said as she carefully dug around the sink with her uninjured hand. "I cut myself... on this," she said as she pulled a sharp knife that was under the dishes and hidden in the soapy water.

"Let me look," Setsuna said as she proceeded to examine Ranma's injury without waiting for a reply.

"It's nothing," Ranma said reassuring. "I've had worse."

"No doubt you have," Setsuna said offhandedly as she studied the cut. "Ranma, you might need stitches on at least one of these cuts."

"Stitches? Feh," Ranma said. "It'll be all right. Trust me."

"Can I look?" a small voice said. Both women turned to face Hotaru who stood near the sink, wearing an expression of deep concern. "I want to help," she finally said.

"That's okay," Ranma said. "It's no biggie."

"Please?" Hotaru half pleaded.

Looking at the dreaded puppy dog eyes of persuasion, Ranma knew she was definitely out of her league. "Okay," she relented. Sighing as Hotaru began to probe the cut with her fingers, Ranma idly thought that she should try and master that look; oh, the ice cream she could scam.

She was jolted out of her musings by a warm, flowing feeling that radiated from her hand. It wasn't unpleasant, as matter of fact it felt comforting, almost as if Ranma were being held in a protective way. Then another feeling accompanied it. This one though was intangible, like something being... changed?

"All done," Hotaru announced, bringing Ranma back to the here and now.

Holding her hand up for inspection, Ranma first noticed that the pain was gone; the second thing that came to her was the fact the cut was no longer there, in fact there wasn't even a scar. Ranma blinked a few times as her mind wrapped around the fact that Hotaru had healed her. "Wow," she finally muttered.

"Is it all right?" Hotaru carefully asked. Though Ranma had said that she didn't mind her gift, this was the first time that Ranma had seen it in action.

Sensing the young girls reservations in her voice, Ranma smiled at Hotaru putting her at ease. "All right? This is great!" Ranma beamed, brightening Hotaru's mood considerably. "I wish I could do something half as neat."

"Really?" Hotaru asked, her grin broadening.

"Really," Ranma reaffirmed. Ranma was getting a kick out of seeing Hotaru so happy about the fact that she wasn't creeped out by her 'gift', that Ranma ignored the slight dizzy sensation that passed over her. "C'mon squirt," Ranma finally said. "Let's finish up these dishes."

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Leaning against the rail, Ranma looked out on greater Tokyo from the vantage point of the top observation deck of the Tokyo Tower. She had cut school - something that she had hated to do since she promised her employer that she would continue with her studies, but she had to meet Akane here. The only consolation about going to school and being a nanny was she got out of any after school obligations - part of her duties was dropping Hotaru off at her school and picking her up afterwards.

Outside of that difference, Ranma's new school was as boring as her old one.

While waiting, Ranma fingered the collar of her Juban high school uniform and divided her time between watching the scenery below through the thick glass and watching for Akane. The uniform didn't bother Ranma too much since she considered it part of her disguise like the fake glasses she wore; she looked at everything she wore as part of her disguise, right down to the bra and panties she was currently wearing. Ranma had figured the Nabiki would be looking for a guy-acting girl and not a, well, girly-acting girl. Sighing, Ranma watched the lines of traffic far below that moved about the streets like a column of ants, the ugly rooftops, and some tennis courts and a soccer field in the near distance.

The observation deck was much smaller than the main one that was located three hundred twenty feet below and cost an extra fifteen hundred yen to get up to, but it still had it's share of tourists, mostly foreigners. Most importantly, the extra cost might keep most of Ranma's old classmates down on the main deck instead of venturing up here; there would be less chance of recognition.

Ranma shook her head clear of a touch of vertigo as she looked down. It was odd, but she had been having spells of slight dizziness since the other day, but had been dismissing it as stress.

Soon, a short-haired girl wearing the familiar Furinkan high school uniform exited the elevator and looked around the modestly occupied floor. Ranma frowned somewhat when she saw that Akane was not alone; she was accompanied by Yuka and Sayuri, two of her closest friends.

_"Great, how am I gonna get Akane alone?" _Ranma asked herself. Then she noticed that Akane was looking around with nervous eyes, completely overlooking her. Ranma smirked when she realized that Akane didn't recognize her. _"Not that that's a surprise considering what I'm wearing."_

Seeing no harm in trying, Ranma maneuvered behind the trio of girls as they looked over Tokyo and nudged the short-blue haired girl in the middle. Getting no response, Ranma nudged again, this time a bit harder than before. This time Ranma got a response.

"Is there something I can do for you?" Akane asked as she turned to face the annoyance.

"Um, sorry you look like someone I know," Ranma said lamely as she watched the other two girls to see if they would look; as luck would have it, they didn't. Ranma mouthed "It's me" to Akane in hopes that she'd understand.

Wearing a mask of confusion before her eyes lit up in recognition, Akane did a comical double-take as she took in the changes to her fiancee. As Ranma patiently waited for Akane to come around, she clasped her hands in front of her, mirroring the habit she had picked up working for Setsuna. Unfortunately, Akane's staring lasted long enough that Yuka and Sayuri noticed that their friend had stopped responding to their conversation and turned to see what was the matter. Ranma remained calm on the outside and said a silent prayer that they wouldn't see through her disguise.

"Who's this?" Sayuri asked Akane. "A friend of yours?" The girl with glasses looked somewhat familiar to her, like most of the pretty but mousy girls in school.

"Ah... yeah," Akane managed to get out.

"Ooo... I love your hair, who did it?" Yuka, noticing the tight curls, asked the new girl.

"Um, I had it done at... er," Ranma's mind drew a blank before she grasped at straws, "at my employer's hairdresser. I'm sorry, but I can't recall the name right now."

Akane came out of her stunned state and deflected anymore question from her friends. "Um, girls this is a... friend of mine from another school. Can you give me a moment to talk to her?" Akane asked her friends.

"Sure," and "Make sure you get the name of her hairdresser," were the replies from Akane's friends as Ranma smiled and led Akane towards the opposite railing, breathing a sigh of relief at dodging a bullet.

"What happened to your hair?" Akane asked as she tried, but failed, to tear her eyes away from Ranma's new hairdo.

"I dyed it," Ranma deadpanned.

"I mean...," Akane motioned. "What's with the curls?" She examined Ranma's hair closer. "Say... did you get a perm?"

"Yes, I gotta perm. I didn't mean to, it just happened."

"Ranma, perms don't just happen," Akane said with a hand on her hip. "How did you...?"

Sighing, Ranma relented. "I got gum in my hair and they had to cut it out."

Akane blinked, paused in thought, and then blinked again. "Ranma? What kind of weird martial arts challenge that you gotten yourself into that involved getting gum in your hair? I just want to know so I can avoid it in the future."

"It wasn't a martial arts challenge," Ranma half-hissed. "It was a plain, old, everyday accident. I leaned back on a park bench and the next thing you know: gum in the hair."

"But - the perm? Have you seen how you look?"

"Like I stuck my finger in an electric outlet right after a shower?"

"No!" Akane said, forgetting Ranma's true nature. "You look... cute." Part of Akane wondered where Ranma had gotten the perm and how Akane herself would look in one. "It really compliments your face... and," she stared closer at Ranma's face, "your... makeup?"

"My boss expects a certain amount of... feh" Ranma waved off the question. It was bad enough having Setsuna expect that she carry and present herself in a _professional _way and also having Hotaru bug her about looking feminine enough - it was just plain bad to be feminine at all in Ranma's book. She was a guy, dammit! "Look, I don't want to look cute," Ranma whispered to Akane. "I'm a guy - guy's aren't cute."

Akane gave Ranma a half-liddened gaze. "Ranma, there are guys that are cute. Besides, you're not exactly a guy right now."

Rolling her eyes, Ranma sighed dramatically causing a brief moment of silence that was broken by Akane. "So, why did you decide on a perm?"

"Hota- that is, the kid that I watch, her hairdresser did it to me," Ranma half-explained before grumbling, "She first wanted to make me look like... never mind, stupid foo-foo hair - now everyone thinks I look cute."

"Well you do look cute," Akane pointed out again, much to Ranma's discomfort. "I just never expected to see you like this." She then cocked her head in thought. "Say, you said you were babysitting?"

"Er, yeah. Mmm... not quite, you see, I'm a, er, well," Ranma stammered, while inadvertently looking the part of a blushing schoolgirl.

"You're a what?" Akane pressed.

"I'm a, er... a nanny," Ranma finally managed weakly.

Blinking, it took a moment for Akane's mind to shape Ranma's words into something meaningful. It didn't work the first few times and the mindless blinking she was doing as she stared off into space was starting to worry Ranma a bit.

"Akane? Akane? Akane, are you all right?" the former redhead asked, trying to get the other's attention.

"Did you say... nanny?" Akane finally asked.

"Yes I did, but that's not important right now," Ranma said, attempting to move the conversation along. "What's the news from home?"

Shaking her head free of any more thoughts about nannies and perms, Akane focused on the situation on hand. "It's worse," she sighed out. "Uncle and Nabiki have convinced daddy to move the engagement over to her," Akane practically spat out. "I never thought that my own sister would be such a... a..."

"A sneaky, amoral, money-grubbing bitch that won't stop at nothing until she has made every yen outta using me?" Ranma said sharply. "Feh, I ain't surprised; look at what she did to you, selling pictures to Kuno and stuff."

Akane nodded in agreement, she had no reason to defend her sister's selfish actions anymore. "And Huang has stepped up his efforts in looking for you - his 'property' as he calls you. I tell you Ranma, that guy gives me the creeps every time he comes over, and what's worse Nabiki treats him like royalty."

"That's because he's rich," Ranma pointed out. "If it wasn't for that, Nabiki wouldn't give the guy the time of day."

Sagging against the rail, Akane shook her head. "I don't understand Nabiki, I mean, daddy makes enough for us to get by on - we even get a small allowance... she has no reason to do the things she does."

"Some people are just that way," Ranma snorted out as she turned to face the city below them. "She loves to make life difficult for others and make money at the same time. She thinks it makes her in control and better than everyone else - which means you will have ta watch out Akane - I mean it."

"What do you mean?"

"How long will it take for Nabiki to subtly suggest, for a modest fee, an omiai between you and Kuno?"

Eyes widening in horror, Akane leaned away from Ranma as if she suddenly developed bad breath. "She wouldn't!" Akane said. "She knows how much I hate him."

"Doesn't matter," Ranma said flatly. "Look what she did to me, her future brother-in-law, er... now future husband, if she thought she could do it and get away with it, she'll sell you out as well."

"She wouldn't!"

"Akane, she has already sold pictures of you to Kuno, fed his delusions, and made money off of your fights in his attempts in pursuing you," Ranma said while giving Akane an even glare. "Wake up and smell the tea; it's probably only a matter of time before she approaches your father saying something like," Ranma switched her voice to mimic Nabiki's, "since I'm now engaged to Ranma, Akane is free and there's a rich boy who-"

"No! She wouldn't," Akane insisted loudly, drawing some stares from the people around them.

"When there is money to be made?" Ranma asked pointedly.

"She... she... she would," Akane uttered in defeat.

Ranma smiled as she finally got through to Akane. "Just keep your eyes open," she warned Akane while looking at her dead in the eye and taking Akane's hand in hers for emphasis. There was a small, barely detectable shock of electricity that was ignored by both. "If she tries anything like that, you get the hell out of there as fast as you can. I'll help you as much as possible."

"How would I even get a hold of you?"

"My boss is gettin' me a cell phone," Ranma replied. "I'll get the number to you - somehow."

An uncomfortable silence fell between the two girls as they stared out the window and onto Tokyo below, their futures now more uncertain than ever.

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"I heard you left school early today," Setsuna said conversationally over dinner.

Ranma froze, chopsticks halfway to her mouth. She knew that her employer expected a certain amount of 'excellence' from her and skipping school could be considered an infraction. Still, it was important that she had spoken with Akane, so Ranma decided to be honest about her absence.

"Er, yeah," Ranma replied with unease. "I had to meet and talk to someone - a friend. It was important."

"I see," Setsuna said. "Everything is all right, I hope."

"Um yeah... well, not really," Ranma said uncertainly. She was waffling between completely trusting Setsuna and not. It wasn't anything that Setsuna did that made Ranma hold back, but with the problems that Ranma had, she had a fear of being turned away.

"Some boy didn't get you in trouble, did he?" Hotaru scandalously asked.

"Huh?" Ranma said, breaking from her internal debate.

"Now Hotaru, I'm sure that Ranma isn't that kind of girl," Setsuna said with that secret grin on her face. "I'm sure it had something to do with the 'family problems' that she had hinted at before."

"Oh," Hotaru said with a mixture of relief and disappointment.

Blinking a few times as she looked between Setsuna and Hotaru, Ranma wondered if she'd missed something. "Um... right,' she managed out. "It's about my family problems." She paused; her boss was a sharp woman and remembered everything

"I see," Setsuna said, returning to her earlier conversational tone. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Ranma stared at Setsuna for a few heartbeats. "You want to help me? You've only known me a couple of weeks, how do you know I'm worth helping?" Ranma asked.

"I'm a good judge of character," Setsuna replied. "And I did hire you to take care of Hotaru. That alone shows my trust in you. I could tell that, in spite of your - roughness about the edges, you are a good person at heart. Do you think you would have this job if I felt otherwise?."

Ranma blinked at the answer. "Oh," she said dumbly. Internally, Ranma was rather touched to know that someone had put that much trust in her. "It's... kinda... complicated," she ventured, not sure where to begin.

"I'll tell you what," Setsuna said as she picked up a bite of food. "After dinner, we'll get together and talk about it - if you want."

Finding her rice very interesting at the moment, Ranma picked at a clump of grains.

"We'll both help," Hotaru chimed in enthusiastically. Ranma couldn't help but smile, Hotaru had a way of disarming her.

After the dishes were washed and put away, all three girls settled in the living room. Setsuna sat on the overstuffed couch and motioned for Ranma to do the same. Hotaru, not wanting to be left out, but not wanting to get in the way, established herself in the arm chair across from the two older women. Silence dragged out for a moment before Setsuna cleared her throat. "So, what sort of family problems are you having?"

"Um... it's kinda complicated," Ranma said. "I don't know where to really begin."

"Why not start with what caused you to leave home," Setsuna suggested, "and we can work from there."

Pursing her lips, Ranma thought for a moment. _"I can't tell them everything... like the curse - they'll think I'm a freak. Better tell them the truth, but sorta switch things around a bit," _she concluded. Taking a deep breath, Ranma began her story starting with the Ten Yen Battle...

A bit later and after several cups of tea, Ranma managed to tell Setsuna and Hotaru the events that led her to their door. Though she had edited out the more bizarre or magical moments in her life, that still left a great amount to be amazed and appalled about.

"So your father and your new fiance are basically trying to rent you to the highest bidder?" Setsuna said with frost in her voice. She'd had been somewhat familiar with the past of Ranma Saotome and knew the type of person she was dealing with: a kind and caring young man wrapped in a cocoon of crassness. It would be fair to label Ranma an asshole, but it was his willingness to go to extremes to help someone in need - even strangers - overshadowed that personality quirk that he acquired from his upbringing.

Setsuna found herself being moved as Ranma outlined the schemes of her fiancee's 'brother' and her father's attempts at reducing her life to being nothing more than a high-class whore. Setsuna found that addition noteworthy.

"Um... yeah, basically," Ranma said nervously, eyes darting between Setsuna and a horrified looking Hotaru.

Feeling anger build up in her chest, Setsuna took in a claiming breath. There was something very different about speaking with a real flesh and blood person about their problems. There was no clinical detachment; the situation was tangible now, personal. "And your first fiancee, the one that they switched the engagement from... he helped you escape?"

"Yes. Sh- er, he was a great help in making sure I wasn't followed or nothin'," Ranma replied.

"Is that who you had to meet?" asked a wide-eyed Hotaru.

"Er, yeah," Ranma replied. "Er, he's been keeping me up to date on what's going on... back home."

"I see," Setsuna said as she considered something. "You trust him?"

Ranma blinked at the question and nodded. "Yeah, I guess I do."

"Is he handsome?" Hotaru asked with interest.

"Er... something like that," Ranma stammered. "Look, it's like we kinda like each other, but... there was just too much pressure to get us married," Ranma explained. "S-he's a good friend, that's all." Thinking of Akane as a guy was too weird; though if they were the same sex then there would be no romantic tension.

"Well no one can blame you for leaving home," Hotaru said with righteous justice burning in her eyes. "There should be a law against what they're trying to do to you."

"I'm very sure there is," Setsuna said in the same tone as Hotaru had just spoken in. "Ranma I think that you did the right thing in getting out of a bad situation, but you're partly responsible for allowing it to continue as it has."

"Huh?" Ranma said, she was confused by that slight accusation.

"Why haven't you report this to the authorities?" Setsuna asked. "Surely you have to know that these people are breaking the law."

"I can't do that, "Ranma half-retorted. "They're my family... sorta."

Silence fell in the room as Setsuna and Hotaru eyed Ranma incredulously.

"Ranma, if this is your family, then you would be better off without them," Setsuna said in a surprisingly blunt manner.

"B-but..."

"Ranma, what your father and your so-called fiance are doing to you is awful," Hotaru said in a thin, almost scared way. "I can't imagine what I'd do if I was in your shoes, but I know I wouldn't allow them to get away with breaking the law."

Another bout of silence followed

"At least your ex-fiance seems like a decent man," Hotaru pointed out. "But even though it is his brother that is doing this, he still should have reported it as well."

"And by not reporting it yourself, you are allowing yourself to be victimized," Setsuna added.

"I-I see," Ranma said, slightly unnerved by the inescapable conclusions that these two relative strangers had arrived at. There was no denying the logic behind their reasoning and that disturbed Ranma even more. Ranma sighed in indecision. "Um... guys... I need to think about this."

"That's okay," Setsuna said as she leaned forward and captured Ranma's eyes with her own, making it impossible for Ranma to ignore anything that was about to be said. "But remember: No one can abuse you unless you allow them to - and if you need any help, I'm more than willing to help you."

Ranma jerkily nodded as she wrestled with what to do.

1234567890987654321--

Eight and a half miles north of where Ranma was staying, Akane entered the grounds of the Tendo dojo. She was tired and the fact that the bus returning them from field trip had arrived back late didn't help - and she still had homework to do. Tiredly she slipped out of her shoes and she made her way into the family room.

_"Great," _she though bitterly. _"I won't be able to relax with some TV while he is here."_

Scowling, she saw her sister, Nabiki, entertaining Mr. Huang - Ranma's "master", still trying to "pool their resources" and find "his property". Reining in her anger toward her older sister, Akane decided that she didn't want to deal with either one of them at the moment, so she retreated to her room and changed out of her school uniform.

_"She better not try marrying me off to Kuno,"_ Akane thought in irritation as she pulled the jumper part of her uniform over her head. _"If she does..."_

She sighed. Outside of taking Ranma's advice of getting the hell out, there was little she could do. If Nabiki did manage to put a bug in her father's ear, Akane knew that she'd be pressured into agreeing to the arrangement by her father, Nabiki, Kuno, and most likely Mr. Saotome as well. Deep in her heart of hearts, she knew the pressure would be greater than she could handle.

She sighed again. Life was never easy when you had a gold-digging bitch for a sister.

Sitting on her bed in just a bra and panties, Akane brought her bandaged right knee up to examine it. She had skinned it pretty badly the day before practicing in the dojo and wanted to see how it was healing. Using her fingernails, she picked at the edge of the adhesive bandage until she was able to get a grip. In one even pull she separated the wide strip from her knee and blinked at what she saw.

And blinked again.

_"What the-? I know I skinned my knee,"_ she thought as she ran her fingers over the smooth, unmarred surface of her knee. Akane looked at the inside of the bandage, still in her hand, and saw that there was dried blood there._ "Maybe I'm finally starting to be a faster healer like some of the other martial artists around here."_

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Ranma drummed her desktop with her fingers as she waited for the teacher to enter the classroom. It was between classes and everyone had taken the opportunity to gather into their little cliques and talk amongst themselves. Since it was still morning and Ranma had managed to cultivate a reputation for being a bit grumpy at that time of day, she was left alone for the most part. While waiting, she had time to reconsider if hiding out as a nanny was a good idea or not for the umpteenth time.

Sighing, she stared off into space, she wondered if and when it would be safe for her to go home again. It had been a month since she went into hiding and two weeks since she saw Akane at the Tokyo Tower. In all that time, Ranma was still trying to decide on what to do, whether she should report Nabiki's dealings to the police or not. Ranma felt lost in the face of a simple moral dilemma that should have been easy to resolve; she was just too used to handling things herself.

At least her cell phone helped things; as long as Akane called her from a private location it would stay secure. From the clandestine phone call she had with Akane the previous night, the situation at the Tendos' hadn't improved at all - there was too much money involved in finding her for things to quiet down. Ranma sighed again and wished that she could go back to her normal life

That is, back to _his_ normal life. _"Gotta stop doing that,"_ Ranma scolded herself. _"I'm a guy. I ain't no girl. I gotta take a break and turn back into a guy... even it it's for a few minutes,"_ Ranma concluded. _"I think this curse is startin' to mess with my head."_

This was the most disturbing development in the whole hiding out thing: "He" was starting to pick up behavior that he had always attributed to women. Being around more "normal" people and emulating their behavior to better fit in was one thing, being around girls "his" own age and emulating them to fit in was another. Over the course of the last few weeks, Ranma had discovered, much to his dismay, that the mannerisms that she had picked up were becoming more and more second nature.

Except for a few things...

"Miss Saotome?" a voice asked, breaking Ranma from her thoughts. Looking up, Ranma was greeted by a tall and handsome upperclassman who towered over her.

"Yea- , er, yes?" Ranma replied as she looked the young man in the eye.

"I'm Kanagaki Ken, senior in class A3," the tall, handsome boy said in a voice that cracked with a trace of nervousness. "I, er... say, I really like your hair; it really fits you."

Ranma frowned and made the boy fidget even more. She hated that such cute, girly hair could "fit" her and she still couldn't grasp what the big deal was about her hair. It was just hair after all. She sighed in resignation.

"Thank you for noticing," she softly said as she unconsciously ran her fingers through her hair. She had decided that it was easier to be nice about it than indignant; she seemed to make more friends that way or at least get less negative attention. And negative attention was the last thing she wanted right now.

"I was wondering... if... if," he paused to gather his courage. "I was wondering if you would mind going out with me this weekend?" Ken's smile and tone were laced with hope. "I would be most honored if you came with me to the beach."

It took a few moments for Ranma to register that she had just been asked out - nicely. This was so unlike Kuno's demands, or blackmailing for dates, or kidnapping that she couldn't make head or tails of it at first. Still after intellectually understanding what was going on, it still took a few moments for that fact to actually sink in.

_"He asked me out,"_ she thought indignantly. _"He asked me out. That... that... jerk."_

Face flushing in irritation, Ranma controlled herself as to not to stand up and punt the boy out of the room for even suggesting that she'd be interested in going out with him. However, a cooler part of herself prevailed and overruled that first instinct. _"Wait, he doesn't know I'm really a guy, so I can't get mad at him," _Ranma thought as she watched the upperclassman's expectant face._ "Gotta act like a girl... but I don't wanna date no guy either."_

Not wanting to do anything that would blow her cover, Ranma put on her best 'Ranko' look, smiled and stood up by her desk, facing the upperclassman. "Thank you for asking me," she said with a bow to the upperclassman. "But because of my responsibilities, I'm afraid I have little time to date," Ranma said as she pushed her glasses back up. Bowing was always a pain while wearing them.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Ken said as he bowed to the shorter girl. "Perhaps another time when you're free?"

"Er, yeah," Ranma managed to get out. "That would be, er... wonderful," she finished as she flushed with further indignation of the situation.

Sagging with relief as Ken strode away and out of the classroom, Ranma ignored the excited buzzing that the scene created among her classmates. Reclaiming her seat, she tried to focus on other things to take her mind off her perceived embarrassment of situation when two girls wearing glasses came up on either side of her, both sporting broad grins.

"Gosh Ranma, you're so lucky to be asked out by Ken," Kimiko gushed.

"I can't believe you didn't take him up on it," another girl said as she adjusted her glasses.

"I bet it's because of your new hair," Kimiko smiled. The perm showed that Ranma really did want to become more feminine; she was just cautious. Kimiko was a bit jealous; she knew she didn't have the guts to change her hair like that. It was very daring and attention-getting.

Ranma sighed, as she unconsciously adjusted her own glasses. She really liked Kimiko and Nami, but their determination to 'break Ranma out of her shell' was wearing a bit thin. This, coupled with the fact that Hotaru thought of her as 'boy shy', added unneeded complications in her life. But the problem was that Ranma couldn't really get mad at any of them because in their minds they were helping her; so Ranma did the best thing she could in a situation like this: grin and bear it.

"I ain't- er, that is, I have too many things to do after school for dating," Ranma said.

"I know, I know. You're a nanny and your charge comes first," Kimiko said. "But you have a day off every now and then. You should've gone for it."

"Hotaru keeps me very busy," Ranma explained.

"C'mon Ranma," Nami insisted. "Everyone saw how you acted, all blushing and everything - anyone who saw can tell you were interested."

"I wasn't blushing, I was...," Ranma insisted - before her mind froze and then stumbled.a bit at the realization of how she probably looked; in spite of her best effort, Ranma paled a bit. _"Aw crap,"_ she thought. _"They mistook me gettin' mad as blushing."_

"You've got to stop being so shy and live a little," Kimiko said in a cheery way as she mistook Ranma's stammering as shyness. It was important to keep positively supporting her. They had already seen Ranma get more comfortable with makeup and get more proper in her manners, not to forget the amazing progress made by changing her hairstyle.

"I ain't," Ranma paused and sighed. "I'm not shy, I have a job after school that I have to do," she explained, slipping back into 'Ranko' mode. "I really don't have time for boys."

"I'm sure your boss would understand that you need a day off," Nami urged. "You're her employee, not her slave."

"Look," Ranma began patiently - it was just so hard to get mad at these two, irritated, yes - mad, no. "I just...," Ranma paused to collect her thoughts. Maybe a 'white lie' would do the trick. "Guys- er, girls, my life is a bit of a mess right now," Ranma explained. "I just got out of a bad situation and it's not over with yet."

Both girls looked at Ranma with wide eyes. "Oh dear... why didn't you tell us, we would've understood," Kimiko said.

"You would've?" Ranma asked at the sudden turn of events. She had been trying since she had met these two to get them to stop their matchmaking.

"Of course," Kimiko said in slight admonishment. "You should have said something."

"So who was he?" Nami asked.

"Who's who?" Ranma asked.

"The boy who broke your heart," Kimiko said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I bet he was a real jerk, wasn't he?" Nami added in.

"Huh?" Ranma asked, wondering how they made that great leap of logic.

"Your ex-boyfriend," Kimiko replied in the same obvious tone.

Ranma spasmed. "I ain't got no-" she paused to rein in herself. "I don't have a ex-boyfriend. I've never had a boyfriend," Ranma said as she mentally added,_ "and I never will."_

Kimiko and Nami looked at Ranma incredulously before shaking their heads in unison. "You poor girl," Kimiko said as she slightly 'tisked'.

"I'll say," Nami chimed in. "I have never met anyone as boy-shy as you are."

"And Nami is a girl that swooned the last time she was asked out," Kimiko grinned.

"He was dreamy," Nami mumbled.

"Don't worry, we'll help you through it," Kimiko said, then paused. "Wait - if it's not an ex-boyfriend, then what is the problem?"

"Er..., it's...," Ranma stammered about, trying to think of a solution. In a stroke of inspiration, Ranma decided to tell the truth - in a way. "I'm trying to get out of an arranged marriage," Ranma finally said.

"Marriage?" both girls plus a few more in the classroom who overheard exclaimed. "You're engaged?" asked Nami.

"No! Not really, my father arranged for me to marry an abusive bitc-, er, bastard," Ranma said as she thought of how best to describe Nabiki. "There's no way I'm gonna marry 'im."

"Oh my," Kimiko said in a Kasumi-esque way before continuing in a dramatic way, hands clutching to her chest. "The horror of being trapped in a relationship to an abusive, self-centered, egoistical lout."

"Er, guys," Ranma said, knowing what would happen if these two girl's imaginations took over.

"And your only escape was to run away before you were forced into a loveless marriage against your will," Nami added, just as dramatically as Kimiko.

"Um... guys," Ranma tried again.

"Don't worry Ranma," Kimiko said in all seriousness. "If that lout shows up here, you'll have every guy in the school willing to defend you. No one today would blame you for running away."

Ranma sighed as she sank into her chair and was ever so glad to have a teacher show up when she did._ "Maybe I should have taken that shrine maiden's job," _Ranma thought as the teacher began her instruction.

1234567890987654321

The afternoon was a lazy one as Ranma lay on the couch and thumbed through her textbook. Since it was officially her 'day off' she chose to relax in a red pullover with loose, dark blue silk pants. Though she still thought homework was a drag, Ranma stuck with it; with the sharp decrease in martial arts challenges that used to unexpectedly come her way, she focused on schoolwork as something to overcome.

Shifting her attention away from world history, Ranma smirked a bit as Hotaru watched a hokey kung-fu movie on the television. Ranma had been too engrossed in her studies to pay much attention to the screen, but she could tell very easily how cleverly the fights were choreographed. Ranma could tell that Hotaru was completely absorbed into the movie.

On screen, two bare-chested men were duking it out; fists were striking out and legs were kicking as both combatants dodged and weaved around one another. One of the men got a punch in, sending the other into a stack of thick bamboo, sending it scattering on the pavement. Scrambling about in the pile, the fallen man emerged with a particularly sturdy staff of bamboo and began swinging at his opponent in an almost dance-like way.

Hotaru leaned toward the screen and seemed to soak in every move and detail the stick-welding man was making. At this point, the other fighter grabbed a broomstick and defended himself with it artfully. Hotaru continued to watch as the fight went on; each thrust and parry was punctuated by the combatant's grunts and the smacking sounds their weapons made.

"Wow," Hotaru whispered. "Are you watching this?" She asked without taking her eyes from the action.

"Mmmmm," Ranma replied noncommittally while she continued to watch over the edge of her history book.

The small girl on the floor turned to face Ranma. "Do you know how to do that?" Hotaru asked wide-eyed, motioning toward the action on the screen.

Lowering the book to get a better view of the television, Ranma studied the two over-muscled men fighting it out with staffs. It reminded her of the many bouts she had with her father. "Yes," Ranma replied as she raised her book up as if she were reading it. "My Pops and I used to practice with staffs and a bunch of other weapons."

"Can you teach me that?" Hotaru asked, excitement leaching into her voice as she motioned again to the action on the screen.

Answering while hiding her sly smile behind her book, Ranma shrugged and pretended to continue to focus on her reading. "Oh... I guess I could... sometime..." she said coyly.

"Oh Miss Ranma, you have to teach me that," Hotaru exclaimed as she climbed onto the edge of the couch. "I wanna learn how to do that!"

Looking into Hotaru's purple eyes, Ranma saw a fiery determination burning inside them. Her enthusiasm for learning martial arts sometimes exceeded her capabilities, but Ranma figured that there would be no harm in teaching Hotaru how to use a staff. _"Especially if I combine it with the Tai-Chi and Karate that I already taught her and move up from there,"_ Ranma mentally concluded.

"I don't know...,"Ranma said with a teasing smile and a turn of the page. "I don't want Miss Meioh to think I'm pushing you-"

"Then we'll keep it a secret!" Hotaru interrupted as she stood. "Like that other cool stuff you taught me."

"Well..." Ranma drawled out playfully, "I just don't know..."

"Miss Ranma!" Hotaru insisted with a stamp of her small foot. "Please!"

Smiling at the younger girl's antics, Ranma allowed a small giggle to escape. Hotaru looked at Ranma with an adorable pout on her face before realizing that she had been made fun of. "Ooo... you..." Hotaru sputtered.

Grinning, Ranma stared at the indignant girl, snorting in suppressed laughter.

"Miss Ranma!" Hotaru roared in mock anger while attacking Ranma with tiny fingers that sought out and found Ranma's most ticklish spots. Squealing at the assault, Ranma dropped her book and counterattacked eliciting howls of laughter from the smaller girl. Both wrestled for dominance as each tried to out-tickle the other until both rolled off the couch and landed on the floor with a soft thump.

"I'm sorry, squirt," Ranma said coming down from her laughter. "But I couldn't help it."

"You'll teach me, won't you?" Hotaru asked longingly as Ranma picked up her dropped book.

"Yeah squirt, I'll teach you," Ranma conceded before being enveloped in a glomp, causing Ranma's just recovered book to be jammed hard into one of her breasts.

"Thank you, thank you," Hotaru said as she hugged her nanny, making Ranma grunt with pain as a corner of the book jabbed her. Breaking the hug, Hotaru looked excitedly at Ranma and almost danced around the middle of the room. "I'll work real hard at it, like when you taught me how to breathe right and stances and blocks and..."

Hotaru continued to rattle off the various things that Ranma had taught her in an increasing excitable way._ "I wonder...,"_ Ranma thought as she picked herself off the floor. "_If I was given the choice, would I have been as excited about martial arts as Hotaru is?"_

"This is going to be so cool!" Hotaru announced, interrupting Ranma's reflections. "When can we start?"

"We'll have to get some supplies," Ranma replied. "We'll have to make another trip to Daishi's."

"That's fine," Hotaru whole-heartedly agreed. "You think that he'll still have that gi?"

"Dunno, let's find out."

1234567890987654321

Stretching at the table, Ranma sighed in relief. She had just finished her homework and not only had tonight off, but Sunday as well. This windfall of time off was due to Hotaru spending the weekend at her aunt and uncle's. This left Ranma with a day and a half that she could do anything she wanted. Not that it mattered, for she rarely went out except to practice her martial arts clandestinely and maybe visit this great little sushi bar that Nami introduced her to a couple of weeks ago. They had rice cooked so finely that it rivaled anything that Kasumi could do and the price was affordable.

_"Hmmm,"_ Ranma thought, _"maybe I can go there and get a bite or three... or four_." She cocked her head._ "And with Hotaru spending the night with her aunt and uncle, I can hang out late if I want to."_

Closing the book before her and piling up her school work, she continued to consider things to do for the next few days._ "I wonder if I can fine a bath house somewhere and scrub this water proof soap off,"_ she thought while absently playing with her curly locks, not even thinking about the perm she was currently sporting - or what it would look like on her guy form._ "I really need to change back into a guy... I think I've forgotten what's it like to pee standing up."_

The doorbell rang, breaking Ranma's musings. Before she could rise from her seat, Setsuna called out "I'll get it."

Sagging back into her chair, Ranma relaxed. Yes. Changing back to a guy would definitely be the top order for this weekend. _"I'll just tell Setsuna that I'm going on a short training trip and find a cheap hostel somewhere and-"_

So deep in thought, Ranma did not even register when Setsuna entered the room, or the two other people that she was leading. One was a green-eyed brunette with her hair pulled into a pair of ponytails that fell straight down behind her ears. The other was a bit shorter, though still taller than Ranma, had brown eyes and black hair that was shorter and pinned back in a simple bun, and a more statuesque figure. Both were wearing glasses as well.

"Ranma," Setsuna announced softly. "You have visitors."

Blinking, Ranma looked up to see two very familiar people. "Nami? Kimiko? What are you doing here?" She noted once again how... different they looked outside of school. When in uniform their glasses and shy tendencies were dominant, but in normal clothes, a somewhat expensive yellow dress for Kimiko and a white blouse and red skirt for Nami, they looked like a pair of lively, outgoing girls.

Ranma was starting to wonder why they had such problems with boys. They could dress well and were very nice... She halted her line of questioning. That was the exact sort of thinking that they, and Hotaru, were using on her.

"Please, have a seat," Setsuna offered the two as she seated herself to the right of Ranma.

"Thank you," the the two girls chirped as they claimed chairs across from Ranma.

"Er... what's up?" Ranma asked her unexpected guests.

"We were passing by while heading over to Mori's Sushi, and thought you might want to come along," Nami said as she idly adjusted one of her ponytails.

Ranma smiled. Nothing wrong with thinking about food. "I guess so," Ranma replied. "I was thinking about going over there tonight myself."

"That's great and..." Kimiko paused and noticed something different about Ranma. "Did you get new frames?"

"Yeah, my old ones are a bit... clunky." Ranma explained as she fingered the rectangle-ish half-frame glasses; the old, fake ones she had used were not designed for comfort and Ranma finally tired of having a sore nose. "These are much lighter and don't pinch my nose."

The slight magnification real glasses gave Ranma actually made them more effective than her old prop ones. A part of Ranma was annoyed that the drugstore bought reading glasses could actually help make reading much easier.

"They're very stylish," Nami agreed. A good pair of glasses could really help a girl's self esteem.

"I guess," Ranma agreed with a slight shrug. Instead of looking bookish and geeky she looked bookish and shy. Her salary had easily covered the new frames, and they made for a superior disguise.

"We can celebrate your new glasses. That's something worth eating some good food." Kimiko added, impressed with the new look. Combined with the hair they really helped define a style for Ranma.

Ranma grinned, so long as food was involved she'd celebrate anything.

"And after that we could do some shopping and go back to my place," Kimiko continued. "You know - have like a sleep over."

"Er... thanks guys," Ranma stammered out. "But -"

"I think that's a marvelous idea," chimed Setsuna. "I've been worried about you not getting out enough."

"Er, it's not that," Ranma said with a squeaky voice. She paused to clear her throat. "It's just that I like to be available just in case that Hotaru needs me for anything."

"Well that won't be happening, you know she's over visiting her aunt and uncle for the weekend," Setsuna pointed out. "You have no reason to stay in tonight."

"Er, right," Ranma said lamely before inspiration hit her. "But I was planning on going a training trip this weekend."

"Training trip?" Kimiko queried. "Ranma, you have the weekend off and you want to throw it away by training?"

"I'm not throwing anything away," Ranma defended. "It's just that I don't want to get soft."

"I've seen you in the showers, Ranma, getting soft is the least of your worries," Kimiko said with half-lidded eyes.

"Besides," Nami added in. "You need to relax, have fun. You know what they say about all work and no play, don't you?'

"Er... no," Ranma replied dumbly.

"All work and no play makes - Ranma a dull girl," Nami said in slight exasperation.

Ranma looked between her school friends and Setsuna, who was wearing a amused look on her face, and sighed. "I ain't getting out of this, am I?"

"Nope," chimed Kimiko. "We're determined to help you get out of your shell and have some fun. C'mon, you're only young once."

"Yeah! And it probably won't be too long from now that you'll find that special guy, get married and settle down and have kids," Nami added. "You don't want to throw away your youth by being closed up all the time, do you?"

Ranma looked back and forth between Nami and Kimiko as each girl spoke in turn. The last comment made her internally retch, but she manage to suppress any outward signs. "_Damn, why do these two insist on being so helpful?" _Ranma thought with slight annoyance. _"If I had these two as friends back... home, I'd, I'd," _Ranma pause a moment._ "I'd have at least someone to talk to about my problems."_ Ranma sighed.

"Ranma?" Setsuna asked with a slight worried tone.

Breaking from her thoughts, Ranma looked at Setsuna and then to her friends. "Oh what the heck," she finally said. "It's not like I have to go on a training trip."

"Great!" Nami squealed excitedly. "We've been trying you to get out and live a little for weeks."

"Really now?" an amused Setsuna asked. "Well, Ranma is the type of person who gets over-dedicated - a trait that is to be admired, but she does need to 'live a little'."

"C'mon," Kimiko urged while standing. "Let's grab a few things and go."

"Er... guys... um...," Ranma floundered about verbally as she had a sudden attack of second thoughts and tried again to find a plausible reason for not going - unfortunately she was drawing a complete blank.

"I think it's an excellent idea," Setsuna affirmed. "This would be a good chance for you to relax a bit."

"But... er... ummm," Ranma verbally and mentally floundered again. Her shoulders sagged and finally admitted defeat to herself. "_So much for turning into a guy this weekend," _she thought bitterly. "Let me grab my purse."

1234567890987654321--

Three glasses wearing girls were sitting around a long bar inside Mori's, a small "mom and pop" restaurant that wasn't too fancy but still had an air of tradition about it. Though it was Saturday night, the crowd was thin and mostly composed of two classes of people: highschoolers looking for a cheap night out and dating college agers there for the same reason. The block was peppered with such restaurants that served the vast youth market of Tokyo.

Ranma sat on a stool, sandwiched between Nami and Kimiko, as she plucked one of the rice rolls from the plate and dipped the fish side into the small bowl of soy sauce before popping it into her mouth. God, she loved good, cheap food.

"So where to after this?" Nami asked.

"I was thinking that we should go down to Two Rivers mall and see what's on sale," Kimiko ventured.

"You have money?" Nami asked.

"A bit. What about you Ranma? Is there anything you'd like to do while we're out?" Kimiko asked.

Ranma thought for a long moment as she munched on the sushi that just melted into her mouth before shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know... I mean, I don't - er, that is, I rarely go out, so I haven't really thought about it."

"And besides," Nami interjected, "we're here to show Ranma how to have a good time. Let's head over to Two Rivers and just have fun hanging out."

Ranma paled a bit. Shopping? Fun? In the same sentence? That was a bit too girlish for her tastes. Maybe she should do something to change that. "Er, guys..."

"That's okay Ranma," Kimiko interrupted. "We'll show you how it's done."

"We promise we'll be gentle," Nami assured.

Ranma wilted under the kind, understanding gazes of her friends. "Er, ahh... yeah," she reluctantly agreed.

Soon Ranma found herself strolling alongside Nami as Kimiko gawked at the display of dresses in the window of a shop in the Two Rivers. Though Ranma tried to hide it, she was more apprehensive than bored. For the first time in weeks, she was in public. The very thought of being recognized, no matter how unlikely, by someone who knew her... unsettled her. This fear was reflected in her eyes as they continuously scanned the crowd around her.

The shopping plaza was crowded with many groups of people Ranma's age. She watched as each group, large and small, herded themselves from one building and its stores to another. Loud music escaped from the open maw of a ground floor night club as couples waded into and out of its dark depths. Ranma stuck close to Kimiko and Nami as they threaded themselves through the thick crowd that choked the sidewalk.

All along, Ranma's eyes never ceased their almost predatory scan of the mass of people, looking for any threats.

"You have GOT to relax," Kimiko gently admonished, noticing Ranma's unease.

"I'm fine," Ranma lied as she continued to scan the crowd. "I'm just... not used to crowds. Yeah, that's it. Crowds make me nervous."

"Then there is only one thing to do," Nami announced over the din of the people around them.

"Go home?" Ranma asked hopefully.

"Nope, you silly girl," Nami answered in false primness. "We go inside!" she announced as she looped an arm around Ranma's arm and half-lead and half dragged Ranma into a dress shop that they found themselves in front of.

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"What do you think?" Kimiko giggled as she spun around, modeling the dress. The dress was a one piece, navy blue and thin strapped. Form fitting on top, it loosened around the waist, flaring outward into a knee-length skirt.

"It's so you," gushed Nami. "What do you think, Ranma?"

Ranma mentally shook her head. She understood the need for shopping - but only when the need arose, but never really understood the social aspect of it. "It looks okay," Ranma admitted. Still, it was more relaxing inside the shop than it was among the bustling crowds outside. "It might look better with something more," she added absently.

"Like what?" Kimiko asked as she smoothed the front of the dress.

"I dunno," Ranma replied with a shrug. "Maybe a contrasting scarf or something." Thanks to the time she spent with Hotaru, Ranma was starting to get a bit of "fashion sense".

"How about this?" Nami asked as she held up a thin, white scarf. She thought it was a wonderful suggestion; Ranma was making excellent progress, she was not a total tomboy.

"Nice choice Ranma," Kimiko complimented.

"It was just something I noticed," Ranma explained while making warding gestures with her hands.

"Ranma, there's nothing wrong with what you said," Nami assured. She put her hand to her friend's shoulder. "Why are you so afraid of doing normal stuff?"

"I ain't scared - er, that is, I'm not used to doing things like this. That's all," Ranma replied.

Kimiko and Nami shook their heads a bit. Ranma imagined that she heard a light pair of "tisk's".

"Ranma," Nami began as she sorted through a rack of blouses as Kimiko reentered the dressing room. "What happened after you swam to China?"

"Huh? Oh," Ranma stammered a bit. They had spent the entire time in the shop, looking and trying on clothes and talking in detail about Ranma's life. Ranma found the whole experience disarming, but remained on her guard so that her true nature wouldn't slip. "Well, Pops had a guide to various training grounds in China and we spent the next few months visiting them."

"Sounds exciting," Kimiko said as she exited the dressing room, this time in her street clothes. "Didn't you have any time for fun?"

"Well... training was fun," Ranma explained.

"But it was all you did," Nami commented as she held up a green blouse to Ranma, checking the color. "Surely you did more than just train."

"We... walked. A lot," Ranma then shook her head. "Travel and train was mostly what we did. Hell, I barely managed to attend school enough to keep up with my grade, but that was about all."

"Did you make any friends?" Kimiko asked as she eyed some earrings.

"Yeah..." Ranma replied while thinking of Ryoga and Ukyo - then her heart fell a bit. One was obsessed with avenging himself, the other with possessing her. "Well, I'd like to think so."

"Certainly you looked around the places you visited," Kimiko asked as she plied through a selection of skirts. "It would be a shame to travel as much as you did and not really get to look around."

"Not really," Ranma admitted, then she contemplated. "I did manage to go off by myself at times..." her voice trailed off as she revisited a place in her mind.

Nami and Kimiko watched the smaller, curly-haired girl intently as a thin smile crept across her lips that was soon replaced by a frown. Ranma stared off into space for a few moments before blinking and returning to the here and now. Realizing what had happened, Ranma gave a nervous chuckle as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Er, yeah," she said lamely.

An awkward silence fell.

"Are you all right," Nami asked tentatively.

"Yeah," Ranma said off-handedly as she idly fingered a long, bright blue dress that hung on a mannequin.

"What were your parents like?" Kimiko prompted, hoping to move the subject along less depressing paths for their new friend. Perhaps they could get Ranma into that dress or at least try something on.

Ranma sighed - and then gently shook her head. "They're part of the problem."

Another awkward silence fell.

"Oh c'mon girls," Nami admonished. "We're here to have fun, not mope. Here," she said while thrusting the green blouse she had been holding into Ranma's hands, "Try this on and then we'll get something sweet to eat."

"W-wait - what?" Was all she managed to get out before she found herself being lead to the dressing room behind her. Ranma halted when she realized where she was being lead, looking between the others and the garment in her hands.

"Go on and try it on," Nami urged as she closed the drapes. "And we'll talk more."

Ranma found herself separated from her school friends by a thick curtain. Though there wasn't much between her and the two other girls, she could barely make out their idle chatter. Sighing, Ranma looked at the green blouse in her hands, held it up to her torso and studied herself in the mirror. She relaxed and smiled at her reflection. "Oh what the heck," she muttered with a smirk.

"What do you think?" Ranma half- giggled nervously as she exited the dressing room, spun around, showing her friends the blouse that Nami had picked out.

"Wow," Kimiko commented. "It really goes well with your hair and complexion." She smiled. Once Ranma got over her initial apprehension she was just as proud of looking good as the next girl.

"You look so cute in it," Nami gushed. "I knew that was your color."

Ranma smiled just as a low growling was heard. "Heh," Ranma said in embarrassment.

"Er, can we get something to eat now?"

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"So - you grew up on the road?" Nami asked incredulously.

"Yeah, my Pops wanted me to learn the family martial arts," Ranma explained as she took a lick of ice cream. "So we took off when I was five years old or so."

"Wow, that explains why you talk like a boy when you're not paying attention," Kimiko commented before pausing to take a lick of her own cone. "And why you're such a tomboy at times."

"Er, yeah," Ranma managed. Having friends who actually listened when you talked was kind of eerie. They seemed to almost know more about herself than she did.

"It was just me and Pops for ten years, traveling and training."

"I'm surprised you turned out as normal as you did," Nami added in as she licked away at her cone, catching a long drip before it dropped. The girls fell silent as they enjoyed their ice creams, each licking a portion of their cones.

"I bet your father had no idea how to raise a girl, did he?" Kimiko asked.

"I bet he didn't know how to raise a kid," Nami added in darkly. "Pit of cats. What an idiot."

"My father..." Ranma trailed off briefly as she gathered her thoughts. "My father is not that bad," she defended lamely; it sounded hollow even to her. "He just doesn't think before he does something."

"What about now?" Kimiko asked pointedly. "He's trying to sell you to the highest bidder. That's something a father who cares for his child wouldn't do."

"Er... well," Ranma floundered a bit as she munched down the last of her cone.

"Well I think it great that you've at least gotten yourself out of that bad situation with your new fiance." Nami piped up. "But I want to know: Why haven't you reported any of this to the police?"

Ranma stopped wiping her fingers clean with a napkin and stared at the glasses-wearing girl across from her. "Er - what?"

"Ranma, why do you allow your father and fiance to do that to you?" Nami asked. "I mean, selling you like that. You know they do have laws."

A strong wave of deja vu flooded over Ranma. This was like the conversation she had with Setsuna and Hotaru. "Well... I've been thinking about it," Ranma conceded. "But I need to make sure that nothing bad happens to my, er... ex-fiance," she excused.

"Well he should have reported it too," Kimiko pointed out as she finished the last of her cone.

Ranma grumbled to herself for only a moment before asking, "Can we talk about something else? I really don't want to think about it right now."

Smiling Kimiko agreed. "Right. We're here to have fun. What do you want to do next?"

Ranma shrugged her shoulders as Nami piped in, "The arcade!"

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Flames erupted across the screen as Ranma ramped the high-performance car off a loading dock, sending it crashing into the side of a building and the words "Game Over" splashed out the flames, informing Ranma of the obvious. It was the third time she had done that and in the exact same spot and instead of growling in frustration, she found herself laughing along with Kimiko and Nami.

"You got the pedals mixed up again, didn't you?" Nami asked the still seated Ranma.

"Yup," Ranma replied, looking up with an elfish grin. This was the first time she had been in a place like this and was glad that she brought along some of her wages. It was turning out to be fun.

"Let's try something else," suggested Kimiko.

"Okay," Ranma said as she climbed out of the cockpit of the racing game. "Let me pick the next one."

Scanning the crowded room for the next machine to try, Ranma ignored the masses of people around her and focused on the gaudy to gaily lighted games. The room itself was just one floor of a massive multi-story arcade. Young people were clumped together playing or spectating in front of the machines as more people flowed like rivers between them. The atmosphere was energized as Ranma's eyes looked about for the next plaything.

"Let's do that one," she pointed to a rather large blocky video game with two large drums mounted to the front of the machine not far from where they stood.

"Taiko no Tatsujin?" Nami asked. "Okay."

Ranma's two friends readily agreed and after a quick skim of the instructions and the depositing of the correct amount of coinage, they were soon taking turns beating the drums plastic "skins". Long losing her self consciousness, Ranma enjoyed the challenge of tapping, furiously pounding and gently rapping the drums in sync to the directions on the screen. Each girl taking a turn, they soon played the machine out.

"I need a drink," Ranma commented as she replaced the plastic drumsticks in their holders. Her throat felt dry and parched, she felt sweaty and tired, but at the same time she also felt very much alive. She had to agree, at least to herself, that this was the most fun she had in quite a while. "Do they have anything here?"

"This way," Nami replied as Kimiko replaced her sticks. "They've got everything here."

Strolling from the drum game, past a row of crane machines filled with everything from plushies to adult-oriented figures, the three girls made their way to the back of the arcade. There, Ranma was greeted by a long row of vending machines that lined the entire length of the wall. There were hot and cold drinks and even snacks from candies to sandwiches.

"Er, maybe I'll get me a little something to eat while I'm at it," Ranma said with a smile as she felt her stomach rumble.

Shaking her head, Nami commented, "I can't see how you keep your figure with the way you eat."

"I practice martial arts," Ranma explained as she walked up to one of the sandwich machines. "I use up a lot of calories."

Soon Ranma was happily munching away on a slightly dry tuna and seaweed sandwich and drinking, at Nami's suggestion, an iced coffee. The drink was not too bad, but Ranma felt it was slightly bitter for her tastes. The three were gathered around a worn "standing" table as each munched on their own treats.

"What's next?" Ranma asked eagerly. For the first time in so long she felt like she was living - really alive - and she didn't want to let go of that feeling yet.

"You want to leave or hang around some more?" Nami asked.

Ranma's eyes darted between her friends and the crowded arcade and made her decision. Their was no way she was going to walk away from this new-found fun yet. "Well... I wouldn't mind trying a few more games..."

"Let's try that one over there," Nami excitedly said as she pointed into the room. Ranma had no idea which machine Nami was pointing to, but it didn't matter; as long as the fun didn't stop.

Kimiko glanced at her watch. "We have time," she announced. "Let me get some more change and - ow!"

The metal band that edged the table had separated a bit where they joined together and a small, ragged edge was exposed. Kimiko had the misfortune of catching her arm just below the elbow on it and blood began to freely run down her forearm.

"Kimiko! Are you all right?" Nami asked as she tended to her friend. Ranma herself had grabbed a handful of napkins from the dispenser on the table and was heading around to Kimiko's side of the table.

"Let's see," Ranma said in an almost commanding way. She was used to dealing with injuries and felt the need to be... protective of her new friend.

"It's just a scratch," Kimiko muttered embarrassingly. "It surprised me more than hurt me. See?" She held up her arm for Nami's and Ranma's inspection. Just below the elbow was a small, one inch cut that looked as if were made by a razor. Blood oozed freely from the rent. Though it was minor, a band-aid was definitely going to be called for.

"Let's get you cleaned up," Ranma said as she wiped the blood away and pressed the napkins over the cut to stop the flow. The slight static-electric shock was lost in heat of the moment. "Where's the ladies room?" She asked as she looked around.

"Over in the corner," Nami replied.

"Guys, I'm not hurt bad," Kimiko complained. "It's not like my arm was cut off."

"You still don't want an infection," Nami pointed out.

Ranma removed the napkins to wipe anymore blood that might have escaped and blinked at Kimiko's arm. "What the-?"

"What's wrong?" Kimiko asked as she turned her arm to see what was the matter.

"Wow," Nami said. "I guess it wasn't as bad as it looked at first." Ranma nodded absently. Kimiko's arm was unmarred and unscratched. The only testament that she had even been hurt was the drying blood on her arm. Cocking her head, Ranma wondered if there was something more to it, then just as quickly dismissed it. After all, if she was a fast healer, why couldn't anyone else be one too?

"Well, let's at least wash the rest of the blood off," Ranma offered as she wiped up what she could.

"Told you it was nothing," Kimiko said through a smile. Knowing Nami as she did, Kimiko wasn't surprised by her reaction, but she was genuinely touched that Ranma would show this much concern for her, considering the short time they had known each other.

"Right," Nami piped up. "Then we can get back to having fun!"

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It was just before midnight when the trio of girls made it to Kimiko's apartment. It was located not far from where Ranma now resided and while not as ritzy as Setsuna's, was nice with a charm all its own. The small lobby was just large enough to accommodate two elevators whose doors were flanked by cheap, plastic potted plants and a bench. Kimiko pushed the call button. "This is where I live," she informed Ranma. "It's not much, but it's nice."

"Hey, it beats the hell out of living out of a tent," Ranma said, her language relaxing. She then realized what she had said and quickly corrected herself. "I mean, this is much nicer than what I'm generally used to," she rephrased with a slight 'Ranko' lilt.

Nami and Kimiko giggled at their friend's slip. She had been doing that off and on all evening and they had found great amusement in Ranma's "self-correcting" of her speech.

"That's okay, Ranma," Kimiko said as a 'ding' was heard and a light lit up above an elevator door. "We're your friends."

Blinking at that, Ranma felt a certain amount of camaraderie wash over her. It wasn't a much stronger feeling than when she used to hang around her friends back... home, but it was more focused. Any more thoughts were sidelined as the doors of the elevator slid to one side and she followed her companions inside. Kimiko pushed the 'five' button on the control pad and waited as the doors closed.

"How did you like getting out?" Nami asked as the elevator started to move.

"It was... it was great!" Ranma replied with a broad grin; it took some self control to keep from just gushing about how much fun it was. "I can't remember the last time I've had this much fun."

"See, we told you so," Kimiko playfully admonished. "You need to get out more."

"I... guess," Ranma reluctantly agreed. "I'm just not used to all of this."

"I guess it is a bit of a change from what you told us of your life," Nami conceded. "I think I would have run away a long time ago. Who needs idiots attacking you out of the blue?"

"Er, heh," Ranma coughed. She had the feeling that perhaps she said too much this evening, but it was too late to take any of it back. At least Nami and Kimiko didn't seem to think any less of her because of it.

"It's okay," Nami reassured as she snaked an arm around the shorter girls shoulders and giving her a warm hug; it had the affect of pushing any fears of rejection away. "We don't think less of you because of what you had to live through," she continued as if reading Ranma's mind and adding in a comforting smile. "If fact, I think you're probably the strongest person I know. Many people would have cracked under the pressure."

"Er, thanks," Ranma said as she smiled back. It was rather awkward. On one hand Ranma was glad to be accepted, but if these two knew her true nature... she didn't want to think how they would react.

There was a soft ding and the door opened into a narrow hallway. Kimiko lead the way out of the elevators with Nami and Ranma in tow. Halfway to the end of the corridor she paused and fished a keychain from her purse before continuing on to the very end of the hall.

Inserting the key, Kimiko paused for a moment. "Don't mind my folks," she said. "They're a little weird."

"Kimiko, your parents are just fine," Nami said. "Ranma's father is now the new standard in weirdness."

"Right," Kimiko giggled out. Surprisingly, Ranma joined in on the joke at her absent father's expense. Without further ado, Kimiko turned the key in the lock and opened the door. Upon entering, the girls were met by a tall, long-haired woman in her forties.

"You're home - and before curfew," the older woman commented.

"Hi mom," Kimiko greeted as she used the toe of one shoe to hold down the back of her other shoe in order to step out of each one.

"Hello Nami, how are you? And who do we have here?" the woman asked as she appraised Ranma who stood between Kimiko and Nami.

"This is Ranma," Kimiko said gaily. "She's the friend from school I've been telling you about."

"Oh, the reforming tomboy," the woman said with a smile. "Hello, I'm Akako, Kimiko's mother."

"Er, hi," Ranma replied with slight nervousness at meeting someone new and the "reforming" comment didn't help either.

"Mom!" Kimiko exclaimed.

Akako chuckled at her daughters embarrassment. "Oh Kimiko, I was just teasing. Come on in girls," Akako said as she led the trio into the apartment.

Looking about, the first thing that Ranma noticed was that Kimiko's apartment was much smaller than Setsuna's and only sparsely decorated. The front door opened into the long, main room. At the very end of the room was one large window with a sliding patio-type door that opened to a narrow balcony. Starting from the back, on the left wall of the apartment, was a small kitchen that comprised of a sink, a countertop with two electric burners and a modest, but small, upright refrigerator. Next to the small kitchen area was a stacking washer/dryer combo.

To the right, about a quarter of the way from the front door, Ranma spied a short hallway that most likely led to another small room. In an apartment this small there would be no room for dedicated bedrooms, so most likely every room had to be multipurpose. Next to that, nearest to the front door, was a half opened doorway that led to the bathroom and a small, separated stall that housed the family's toilet.

Opposite the kitchen area, was a rather largish television on its stand. In the middle of the room, beside a low table in an equally low chair, sat a middle-aged man with a receding hairline typing into a silver-colored laptop. Peeking over his dark-rimmed glasses, he smiled and revealed his yellowing teeth.

"Hello girls," he greeted in a rich, low voice. "It's good to see that you managed to get home before curfew."

"Dad!" Kimiko said with false exasperation. But still, it was so uncool to have her friends know she had a curfew.

"Sorry dear," the man chuckled lowly as he stood. "I couldn't resist." He then cast a speculative eye on the curly-haired girl standing next to his daughter. "You must be Ranma," he said. "Kimiko has spoken of you."

"Er, hi," Ranma said with uncertainness that came across as shyness.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he rumbled out, giving Ranma a slight bow. "I'm Kiyoshi, Kimiko's father."

Suddenly remembering her manners, Ranma bowed deep to the taller man. "I'm Saotome Ranma," she said with her "Ranko" lilt. "I am pleased to meet you as well."

Kiyoshi gave a deep, rumbling chuckle as he peeked at his watch. "Well, it is getting late. We'll let you girls do whatever you girls do."

"Goodnight dad! Goodnight Mom!" Kimiko exclaimed.

"Goodnight dear," Akako said as she joined her husband. "Don't stay up too late."

"We won't," Kimiko promised.

When the parents retired for the night into next room, Kimiko quickly removed some futons from a shallow closet that was off to one side. With the help of Ranma and Nami, she laid them out in the main room of the apartment.

"You guys want anything to eat?" Kimiko offered as she finished spreading out the last of the red and white striped futons.

"I'm fine," Nami replied as Ranma simply shook her head.

Nami and Kimoko stared at Ranma for a moment. "Nothing?" Kimiko asked doubtlessly.

"I'm fine," Ranma said. "But I could use something to drink."

"We have Sangaria, Ramune and orange juice," Kimiko said as she poked her head in the refrigerator.

"Orange juice, please," Ranma said politely.

Soon the three were sitting cross-legged on their futons chatting. The room was cast in a half shadow, a single floor lamp being the only source of light. What was amazing to Ranma was not so much the differences between what guy and girls talked about, but the similarities.

"I heard a joke the other day, wanna hear it?" Nami asked.

"Sure," Ranma answered as Kimiko motioned Nami to continue.

"A hunter kills a deer and brings it home," Nami began, "and he decides to serve it for dinner that night to his family."

Kimiko and Ranma sat in rapped attention. Internally though, Ranma wasn't expecting much, since it was a girl that was telling the joke.

"The hunter knows his kids won't eat it if they know what it is - so he does not tell them that it is deer," Nami went on. "While the hunter was preparing dinner, his little boy keeps asking him, "What's for supper?" "You'll see", was the hunters reply."

Nami paused and snickered a bit before continuing. "Anyways, they start eating supper and his daughter asks "What are we eating?" and the son asks the same thing. "Ok," says the hunter, "here's a hint, it's what your mother sometimes calls me."

A grin spread over Nami's face as she let the body of the joke sink in to her audience before delivering the punch line. "The son's eyes got real wide and he screams 'Oh my god! We're eating asshole!' "

Ranma burst out laughing heartily before covering her mouth, bring it down to manageable levels. Kimiko giggled away as Nami snickered. "Who told you that one?" Kimiko asked.

"Yuki, from the class next door," Nami replied.

"Figures," Kimiko said. "That is the type of joke she'd tell."

"I didn't think girls told jokes like that," Ranma commented as she came down from the humor.

"What makes you say that?" Nami asked.

"The only people I know that tell jokes like that are guys," Ranma responded before she realized what she said. "Er, that is, most of the girls I've met before never told jokes like that... they've always told, er... little kid jokes," she finished lamely.

Kimiko giggled a bit. "That's probably because they were trying to be polite," she explained. "Heck, most of the raunchier jokes I've heard came from Mrs. Waibi, our neighbor."

"R-really?" Ranma asked, mentally caught flatfooted.

"You meant you never told jokes like that?" Nami asked.

"Of course I did," Ranma replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I use to hear some real dirty ones when me and Pops visited some of the dojos in the south or camping out like we did."

"And you find it strange that you told jokes but other girls didn't?" Nami pointed out.

"Er, ahh, it's just that," Ranma floundered about when she realized how she sounded. "It... was different when it was on the road."

"I see...," Kimiko said as she thought of something. "You know, I think you are more than just a tomboy that is trying to fit in."

Ranma blinked. She knew some amazing leap of logic was about to be preformed. "Okay," she prompted.

"The way you behave is one extreme or another, "Kimiko continued. "You either act like a prefect little girl or a tomboy."

"Oh-oh, Kimiko: Junior Psychologist strikes again," quipped Nami.

"Well look at the facts," Kimiko said. "Ranma is not just any tomboy that trying to fit in, she was raised by her father on the road - don't you see?"

The two other girls blinked at their friend. Kimiko shook her head at their incomprehension. "Okay, I'll bite. What's so obvious that I'm missing?" Nami asked.

"Well, to be fair, I didn't put it together until Ranma loosened up and started telling us about her life and how she lived, but you do notice that Ranma talks like a boy?"

"Yeah, so?" Ranma said, wondering where this was leading.

"Ranma," Kimiko said, focusing a gaze on the curly-haired girl. "You were raised as a boy, weren't you?"

A stunned silence followed for a brief moment.

"You're right," Nami agreed. "I never thought about it. Is it true Ranma? Were you raised as a boy?"

Wide-eyed, Ranma looked back and forth between Nami and Kimiko. She didn't know what to do. Of course she was raised as a guy, she was a guy! But she couldn't tell them that.

"Er, yeah... that's it," Ranma admitted rather meekly, fearing that somehow the two might have figured out more than possible. It came across as embarrassment to the others. "My Pops raised me like a son."

Ranma's two friends "tisked" at that. "Your father is a bigger idiot than I thought. What was he thinking?"

"It's not your fault," Kimiko said with a reassuring squeeze of Ranma's shoulder. "It's just the way you were raised."

"But some of the things your father did - an all boys school of all things. I mean, really, what was he thinking?" Nami repeated.

"How'd you know about that?" Ranma said in a half-panic.

"You told us when we were at the arcade, remember?" Nami reminded. "You said that you had to fight some guy for something to eat everyday."

Ranma paled while she mentally slapped herself. She really had said too much. Though uneased by her just discovered slips, Ranma had to know how much damage she had done. "Er... guys... how much did I say tonight?"

"Quiet a bit," Nami said as she stretched out on her futon, getting comfortable. "Some of the things you said were bizarre, but considering your father..." Nami gave a disgusted snort.

"Yeah... hee, hee," Ranma said nervously.

"Don't worry about it," Kimiko said as she stifled a yawn. "You're a sweet person. You act like a boy at times, but with your upbringing I'm surprised you don't have more problems."

Ranma blinked. "Like what?"

"Well, considering that your father tried to raise you - his daughter - to be a 'man among men'..."

_"Oh crap,"_ Ranma mentally kicked herself_. "When the hell did I mention that?"_

"... I'm surprised that you didn't turn out to be a sexist when it came to other women, arrogant, and egotistical," Kimiko finished while rolling to her side to get more comfortable.

Nami noticed the redhead's eyes widen in shock. "But you're not," she reassured. "Like Kimi said. You're a sweet person - and our friend."

"Er... yeah," Ranma lamely said. There was a certain amount of truth to what Kimiko had just said and it was disquieting, but Ranma didn't feel like dealing with those feelings at the moment. "Er, guys... would you mind keeping this to yourselves?"

"Ranma," Kimiko began, "we're your friends. We won't blab anything you told us around to anyone."

Blinking, Ranma looked between the two girls. Ranma was taken aback by the fact that she just asked two people that she had known for a comparatively short time to keep her personal life to themselves - and they agreed. No bribery or deal cutting was involved. "Er, thanks," she uncertainly said, and she pushed her own glasses back up her nose..

"Well, I'm beat," Nami announced. "Goodnight," she finished with a sigh.

"Me too, see you in the morning," Kimiko said as she reached for the dangling lamp cord.

"Goodnight," Ranma said quietly as the room plunged into darkness. Ranma laid awake in the dark, listening to the breathing of Nami and Kimiko for what seemed like hours before their breathing became regular as sleep overtook them. Sleepily, Ranma's mind played over the evening's events and came to an inescapable conclusion: _"It was fun."_ Which was her last thought before sleep claimed her.

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Morning came, and after a light breakfast and some quick goodbyes, Ranma began her trip back to the apartment that she had, in spite of herself, considered home. That very notion gave Ranma cause to pause in her walk.

_"It isn't my home,"_ Ranma mentally chided herself. _"It's just a hideout."_

Shaking herself free of that thought, she mused over last night's events. Hanging out with Nami and Kimiko had been fun. More fun than she could ever remember having.

_"I definitely have to get out more,"_ Ranma thought resolutely. _"After I go back to the Tendo's, Akane and I are going to go shopping and hit the arcade-" _Ranma paused in thought. _"What the hell am I thinking? Wait a minute."_

Frowning, Ranma tried to collate her feelings._ "That's girl stuff," _she internally objected. _"I can't have fun... doing... girl's... _Her thoughts trailed off as the thrill of the memories of playing at the arcade asserted themselves. _"Okay, I had fun. But it really wasn't girl stuff, heck guys were out there doing the same thing I was doing last night. So it doesn't count."_

Internally satisfied with her excuse, she shoved anymore disturbing thoughts aside and concentrated on another matter that had been dogging her over the majority of her stay._ "Nabiki,_" she thought the name like a curse. _"What am I going to do about Nabiki?"_

Absently waving and smiling at a now familiar neighbor, Ranma entered the apartment building that she lived and worked at. _"I gotta take a stand... but I don't wanna hurt anybody," _she thought as she pressed the elevator button._ "I gotta talk to Akane and see what she thinks."_

Entering the building, Ranma mentally went over what day it was. _"Two days - she's due to call me in two days. I'll talk to her and see what she thinks."_

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Late in the afternoon, Ranma was back in her "nanny uniform" and escorting Hotaru for her monthly appointment at Kikuko's Salon for a trim. Of course these monthly visits also meant that Ranma had her hair touched up as well; it had become a regular part of her routine. Ever since last week's sleepover, Ranma had felt a bit more natural in public.

It was not that Ranma had grown fond of her new accidental hairstyle, but Hotaru could easily convince her to have her hair taken care of. Ranma justified it as keeping her disguise up, though that reasoning was fast growing thin - even to herself. She could have let her hair grow out and be loose or in a ponytail or any other style, but instead kept getting it short and permed.

Having become more and more healthier, Hotaru's hair reflected that by growing a bit faster and developing a beautiful sheen. Hotaru had toyed with letting her hair grow out longer, but decided in the end to let it stay the length she was used to. After Hotaru's quick trim, Ranma eased herself into the chair and waited as Kikuko gathered the necessary items to fix up Ranma's hair. She eyed Hotaru who was energetically hovering around her.

"How were your aunt and uncle doing?" Ranma asked Hotaru conversationally as Kikuko began to fuss over her red tresses.

"They're doing swell," Hotaru replied, merrily. "I showed them one of the kicks you taught me."

"Which one?" Ranma asked as she winced at having her hair pulled slightly.

"The snap one," Hotaru's excitement came off in waves. While Ranma had been teaching Hotaru Tai Chi; Hotaru had taken quickly to the sprinkling of the basic Karate moves that Ranma had taught her - this on top of the exercises with the staff.

Ranma smiled at the younger girls enthusiasm. "You didn't over do it, did you?"

"No Miss Ranma," Hotaru answered as she began practicing a kata in the open space of the nearly empty salon. "I didn't want my auntie and uncle to fuss over me."

Ranma smiled at the 'Miss Ranma' title that Hotaru had bestowed on her. It was a compromise between the formal 'Miss Saotome' or 'Nanny Ranma' that Ranma didn't feel comfortable with. Also the tongue and cheek playful manner in which it was delivered helped immensely.

That her charge was so eager to practice really brightened her day too. Hotaru's life had really turned around. It scared Ranma a little bit, not only was she responsible for Hotaru's safety, but her charge looked to her as a role model.

Ranma frowned briefly. Hotaru looked up to a shy tomboyish, martial arts nanny. Most of that was a lie.

"Thanks squirt." Ranma winced again at her hair being pulled. "Last thing I need is for them to be calling Setsuna again telling her that I'm wearing you out - a little more control on the thrust there, Hotu-chan."

The young girl nodded as she repeated the motion with her arm in a smoother and more controlled way.

"Better," Ranma commented.

"That is really cool, Hotaru," Kikuko said as she worked on Ranma's hair. She had noticed the improvement in Hotaru. Setsuna had hired well. Ranma may be young, but she was dedicated to her charge. Plus, she had such well-behaved and beautiful hair, that really took well to perms.

Hotaru paused in her spontaneous exercise. "Miss Ranma," she began, "do you think you could teach me more karate?"

Smiling, Ranma replied. "Sure, as long as you keep yourself fit."

Hotaru smiled in return and restarted the slow Tai Chi kata, carefully minding her form.

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Sitting on the very bench that had cost her her pigtail, Ranma leaned her head back slightly and stared at the starry sky. Before sitting down she had checked the bench. Over the past few months she had learned to take care of her coiled hair.

She looked up at the few bright stars that could be seen through the urban haze and light pollution of the city and sighed. It wasn't that the hour was late, it was just that time of the year when the sun started to go down early. Ranma was glad that the cold weather hadn't really kicked in yet, but she knew that it was coming and coming soon.

With a chirping sound, Ranma's eyes were torn away from the hazy sky and to the matter at hand. Reaching into the pocket of her skirt, she withdrew a small lavender-colored cellphone. Looking at the time on the faceplate, Ranma smile. _"Right on time," _she mussed as she hit the answer button.

"How's it going, Akane?" Ranma asked into the mouthpiece.

"Well..." Akane began somewhat hesitantly, "Mr. Huang left to go back to Hong Kong yesterday-"

"He's gone?" Ranma excitedly interrupted, leaning forward on the bench.

"Yes, but-"

"Then I guess I can come...," Ranma paused. She felt unsure about or that she was missing something. "Akane, is there anything wrong?"

"Yes, I've been trying to tell you, but you keep interrupting me," Akane said exasperatingly.

Silence fell over the phone as Ranma waited patiently for Akane to continue. After a few long moments, Akane resumed. "Mr. Huang left, but Nabiki..."

"Don't tell me Nabiki is still going to sell me out," Ranma finished in disgust.

"Yes, Huang has put Nabiki on 'retainer' in case you showed up," Akane explained, ignoring the fact that Ranma had interrupted her again. "He is very interested in having you as his 'toy'."

Silence revisited the conversation.

"Akane... I've been thinking... how would you feel if... if I reported Nabiki?"

"To who?" Akane asked cluelessly.

"To the authorities," Ranma replied impatiently. At least she was not the only clueless one.

"I wish you would," Akane almost spat out. "She has been more obsessed with money since Mr. Huang came around waving wads of it under her nose all the time."

"I bet ol' pop was right there with her." Ranma exhaled. It seemed like no one was untouched. "Are you all right?"

A thick silence fell briefly before Akane softly spoke. "My... my father too. It's like they've all turned into... it's like they're all trying to win the big prize, you know? I don't think that they're really thinking about what would happen to you. I can't even talk to them anymore, the only people I can really talk to is Kasumi, my friends at school and you."

Ranma smiled and felt... warm inside? She was glad that she made Akane's short list. Sensing that there was something more, Ranma waited patiently.

"Your mother visited last weekend," Akane said with a trace of sadness in her voice. "She came looking for you and your father again."

Swallowing, Ranma asked, "What happened?"

"Well, you father hid as 'Mr. Panda' and Nabiki and daddy asked if your mother had heard from you," Akane replied. "She got very worried when she said she hadn't, but Kasumi managed to calm her down before things got too out of hand."

"That's... good," Ranma said neutrally.

"Then she asked about 'Ranko" and daddy screwed up by saying that 'she' and Ranma went on a training trip, well you can imagine how your mother reacted to that."

"Oh man..."

"Oh man is right," Akane said. "She said that it was improper for you to take any girl with you on a training - or any other trip - unchaperoned. She said that she was going to give 'the both of you a stern talking to about what was and wasn't proper behavior'."

"Oh man..." Ranma repeated.

"But daddy backtracked and calmed her by saying that your father was with you," Akane continued. "That seem to settle the matter, but your mother seemed so sad that she missed you."

Feeling empty at the news of her mother, Ranma struggled to remain detached emotionally. "Stupid Pops..." she muttered.

"I'm sorry Ranma..."

It's not your fault," Ranma sighed. "It's Pops fault."

"What are you going to do?" Akane asked.

Biting her lip briefly, Ranma responded. "First thing, I'm going to call in a tip to the police... or whoever... and get Nabiki and most likely Pops off me."

"Okay..."

"Er... Akane, can I ask you something?"

There was a second of silence; Ranma could almost imagine Akane blinking into her handset. "Sure," Akane's voice replied. "What do you want to ask me?"

"Well, Akane... er, why haven't you... you know, called in about your sister?" Ranma asked tentatively.

A long moment of silence fell; long enough that Ranma feared that Akane wouldn't answer.

"I don't know," Akane finally replied. "I mean, she's my sister, but in spite of that I know I should have. I think it is because that it would upset daddy, but now that he is a part of it..."

"You don't want me to?" Ranma asked.

"No! No, that's not it," Akane said in a rush. "It's just... I thought this whole thing would just go away, you know? Like suddenly one day everything would be fine."

"I kinda thought that too," Ranma admitted. Things used to do that, but this had gotten out of hand, too big. "But it's not going too."

"I know that now," Akane interrupted. "You make the call, I don't blame you."

"Er, thanks."

"Listen, I have to go," Akane said in a low tone, "same time next week?"

"Right, I'll be waiting for your call," Ranma replied. "Bye."

"Bye," Akane echoed. There was followed a soft click as the connection was cut. Ranma soon pressed the 'end' button on her cellphone, shutting it down.

_"I gotta do something,"_ Ranma concluded as she made her way back to the place that she was slowly considering home. _"Everyone is telling me the same thing, I can't let Nabiki get away with treating me like that."_

"I'll talk to Setsuna about it next weekend," Ranma concluded aloud. "Hotaru is going to spend the night with her aunt and uncle's again and I don't want her to worry about me."

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Ranma had just finished vacuuming the apartment and was inspecting her handiwork. She really did not mind such domestic tasks; the work was easy and she took pride in keeping the place where she lived and worked clean. In another life, she might have thought the work was a bit feminine. However, any effeminate feelings that light housework brought were far out shadowed by the fact that she was a living as a nanny and wore a frilly apron daily.

"Miss Ranma!" Hotaru's voice suddenly shouted from the bathroom, jolting Ranma from the task at hand. Having taken care of Hotaru over the last several months, Ranma had easily detected the undercurrent of stress in the younger girl's voice.

"What is it?" Ranma asked anxiously after she ran to the door. "Are you all right? Are you hurt? Did your nausea get worse?" Her heart pounded and not from the minimal exertion the short run gave her. Little Hotaru had been complaining that her stomach had been cramping off and on for the last few days. This was on top of hearing about a stomach virus that was hitting junior high schoolers and Ranma feared that Hotaru might have caught it.

"I... I don't think so," Hotaru's voice drifted from the stressed tone to one of embarrassment.

"Well, what's wrong? Is it related to that stomach bug going around?" Ranma knew that Hotaru had been cranky earlier, her stomach had been giving her problems and she had felt cramps.

"I'm... er...spotting... you know... bleeding," Hotaru coughed. "Um... down there."

Ranma paused; her brain momentarily locked up as the meaning of what Hotaru had just said rattled around her head. Her face flushed; this was not something that she, of all people, should be dealing with. But taking care of Hotaru was her job, so Ranma sucked in her personal discomfort and addressed the still closed door. "Oh... Well... do you want any help?" She asked, while secretly hoping that none was needed.

"Er... I think... just a little. Just as long as you make me one promise."

Ranma thought she heard a trace of fear in Hotaru's voice. "Sure thing, squirt."

"No red beans and rice. I don't wanna have Auntie and Uncle over and surprise them with this."

Ranma blinked. The couple television shows she had seen showed that this was something that girls - real girls - looked forward too." Why not?" She asked in genuine puzzlement.

"It's embarrassing. I'm only thirteen, my birthday was only a month ago," Hotaru replied through the door, Ranma could hear the pout in her voice.

"Well... you've started growing these past few months. That could do it," Ranma proposed.

"How old were you when you got your first period?" Hotaru shot back.

"Uh... well..." Ranma coughed. "It was on the road and... it was freaky." Ranma sighed. "Look, I can show you how to use my stuff and then we can talk about getting your own pads."

"I'll let you in if you tell me," Hotaru teased. Her nanny always had good stories, especially the ones that made her embarrassed.

Ranma sighed. "Fine. I was running for my life in China. Had some crazed Amazon trying to kill me."

Hotaru giggled and unlocked the door. Ranma entered and was surprised to find that Hotaru had already cleaned up and was reading the side of one of Ranma's feminine hygiene boxes.

"So, while I was trying to get you to let me in, you were doing it all yourself?" Ranma asked with a cock of the eyebrow.

"I wanted to make sure I was doing it right," Hotaru pouted with her lip trembling.

"Oh don't you try to look cute at me," Ranma crossed her arms and attempted to glare in a stern way, but failed miserably at it.

"Sorry," Hotaru said while a small smile broke across her face.

Ranma shook her head and opened the box and started explaining what was required. So focused on the matter at hand that the absurdity of her, a girl who was really a guy, explaining some of the facts of life to a girl, who was really a girl, escaped her. This side of a period was not too hard to deal with; in Ranma's mind it was like covering a wound. - the fact that it would bleed for a few days every month was the creepy part... and what it really meant. Ranma's hands spasmed at that thought.

_"I shouldn't be this weirded out. I've had a few of these things while over here - even before I came here. It's just part of being a girl."_ Ranma froze at that admission. _"No..."_

"What is it?" Hotaru asked after her nanny had stopped her mini-lecture.

"Oh? Nothing. I was thinking back to... my first period." Ranma coughed and put the package in Hotaru's hands.

"When you were being chased across China?" Hotaru asked, suspicion creeping into her voice.

"Yeah, that's the time. Found out that those girls are real sore losers." Ranma grinned.

"You saying you were hunted just because you beat someone in a fight?" Hotaru asked after she turned aside and adjusted something. She turned back at her reflection and morosely noted that Miss Ranma was right; she was starting to mature. At thirteen, she was starting to mature. She sighed at her reflection.

Ranma nodded and hoped that Hotaru would stop digging into her past. She then noticed something wrong with her charge. "Depressed?" She asked; then cocked her head to one side, looking fairly motherly as she did so. "Are you scared about becoming a woman?"

"How... how did you know?" Hotaru slowly turned from her reflection to her nanny. She knew what she would look like when she became a... woman, and it scared her.. among other things it might bring. Hotaru took heart in that she seemed free of any... influence, and had people who cared for her.

Ranma smiled weakly, and tried to piece together a sentence. "I... well... I had problems with my body too –um- when I was your age."

"Really? But you're so strong and pretty," Hotaru said incredulously. "Was it because of your father and being on that trip?" Hotaru knew about all fathers.

"Uh, yeah that's it." Ranma sighed. Even when she had escaped her family; they were still affecting her. "So do you feel better?"

"Not really, Miss Ranma." Hotaru frowned. "I'm just cramping a little... I hope the blood won't ruin my clothes."

"Being a girl can really suck," Ranma agreed.

"But it sure beats being a boy," Hotaru replied.

"Uh, yeah." Ranma frowned; she didn't know how to feel about that statement. Things were starting to get confusing. "Come on squirt, let's make you a snack." She then led her charge out of the bathroom and into the kitchen.

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The week wore on in a comfortably predicable fashion. Ranma was very pleased with Hotaru's performance as she enthusiastically wanted to learn more martial arts. Ranma found herself having to hold Hotaru back because she wanted to attempt things that she was not ready to try, and thankfully the small girl took Ranma's cautions seriously.

Ranma walked through the park with a broad smile; a large shopping bag swinging easily at her side. It had been a relaxing weekend. She wondered if she should call Nami and Kimiko or wait for them to call her. She thought a moment, and decided to call them later when she got back home.

She looked down at the bag and nearly giggled with secret excitement. Hotaru deserved it and should like the outfit; Ranma had noticed Hotaru eyeing the purple silk gi every time they went shopping together at Daishi's, the martial arts supply house they'd been frequenting. It would make a good present as a reward for all the hard work that the young girl had been doing. Ranma knew that Hotaru would be delighted to show it off to her aunt and uncle this weekend.

The nanny would have bought it sooner, but she knew Hotaru did not want any gifts in relation to her first period. It was a sentiment that Ranma could easily understand and respect.

As Ranma walked the paved path through the overhanging trees, she idly noted a young boy climbing amongst some branches. The boy looked down and waved at the girly woman before resuming his climb. Ranma slowed to watch as she remembered climbing when she was that age, and male. Though it was not a game back then. Stupid wolves.

Her amusement died when she saw the kid slip. In a helpless moment, where time seem to slow, Ranma watched as the young child's arms and legs flailed about all the way down until he hit the ground with a hard bounce. His shrill scream pierced the serenity of the park.

Quickly, thankful that her employer did not require heels, Ranma ran over to where the boy had fallen. With her heart in her throat, she knelt down over the boy. He was crying and holding an arm. "Where does it hurt?" she asked inspecting his body.

He looked up to the woman in the nice black dress and green pendant. Tears flowed freely from his eyes and a whimper escaped his lips as he tried to move his arm. There was a cut on his forehead but it did not look deep and only oozed out.

"Oh God." Ranma noticed the unnatural lump and angle of his forearm. It had to be broken. She pulled her cell phone out and paused for a split second; her attention was drawn to a sensation that asserted itself. The hand she had on his shoulder felt odd, almost familiar.

She put slowly the phone down on the grass and with her now free hand gently placed it onto the boy's wrist. There was a slight warm sensation after the contact was made. "It's okay. It's okay," she gently assured as she moved her hands closer to the break.

The warm sensation grew into a electric one; it was not a painful shock, but a gentle current that seemed to flow between Ranma and the downed boy. Blinking a few times, Ranma realized that she could almost _feel_ into his arm. The nature of the break became more obvious to her. She closed her eyes and focused on the sensations that flowed freely between them... and then things started to change. There was a shifting and the mental image of damage decreased.

The redhead opened her eyes to find that her hands were next to each other. Hesitantly, she pulled them off his arm. Numbly, the boy flexed his hand and rotated his wrist. "What, happened?" he sniffed.

"I... I'm not sure," Ranma blankly said as she pulled her hands to her lap. "I think I healed you," she ventured softly with uncertainty.

"Wow, that's great!" the kid said as he wobbly stood back up, checking his arm again.

"It was... nothing," Ranma smiled as she stood - then she blinked. It really was nothing. There was no difficulty or effort involved. Her touch just healed.

"Okay!" the kid nodded. He then looked down and noticed his torn clothes and scrapped hands. "Awww man! I'm all torn up. Mom's gonna yell at me."

Ranma laughed. "You were climbing a bit high, kiddo." She looked down at the child's face and the small cut on his forehead, without thinking ran a finger over its length. As her finger traced the cut, that feeling manifested itself at the point of contact. Removing her hand, Ranma inspected the area, but now she could find no sign of there being any damage. _"What in the hell is going on?" _she wondered in a half panic.

"You can't fix my clothes can you?" the boy asked.

"I don't think so." Ranma shook her head; she was beginning to feel creeped out.

The boy sighed disappointedly. "Well thanks anyway, Lady!" He said giving a little bow. "It would have sucked to have a cast. I knew this kid in school who had one and he couldn't have any fun for a while."

"Well, be more careful," Ranma cautioned in a surprisingly motherly tone.

"Okay," he said before running down the path and presumably back home.

Ranma gathered her cell phone and shopping bag. Pushing an idle strand of coiled hair she pondered. "_What's happening to me? Hotaru can do this stuff, but... I mean it's not like she's contagious. Maybe that's why I've felt so close to her. We both can do healing, but why now?" _

Ranma thought to some of the superhero manga that Kimiko occasionally read. Unless you were a mad scientist, superpowers always came up when you were a teenager. "_Maybe being around Hotaru activated my dormant abilities," _Ranma mused. "_I always was a fast healer."_

Ranma sighed. She knew she was reaching with that explanation, but it made some sense. Not everything was due to magic crap. Hotaru's abilities were not magical, as far as Ranma knew; or as least she hoped it was not magic. Every new magical thing she ran across seemed to be just another chance to screw with her curse. And it was not like Ranma hadn't been exposed to any magical nonsense, but she'd like to keep her life as a nanny sane.

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Ranma eyed the faucet. After the incident in the park she had changed soaps for the past couple days. She turned back to the bathroom door and doubled-checked that it was locked - for the fifth time. Just avoiding the waterproof soap was hard enough. Without it... she was at risk - and knowing that her protection was fading frazzled her nerves to no end.

She figured that if she changed accidentally she could either play dumb, or denounce her manhood. Neither option looked good, but if someone suddenly found out that their female friend, employee, or nanny was a guy... "_They'd understand a girl hiding an embarrassing affliction a lot more than a guy hiding out in some cursed body," _Ranma concluded.

Looking at her reflection, Ranma knew that in retrospect the risk of a couple days of being revealed seemed light. There was also the chance that her fears were unfounded. That the soap was not even needed.

Her lip trembled. Living as a girl was one thing, being stuck as one was another.

Ranma adjusted her robe and put her arm under some hot water from the shower. The transformation hit. Ranma looked at his reflection, and then down into his robe.

"Good, I can change to a guy, where's the cold water," Ranma mumbled to himself as he adjusted the shower back to cold. She then proceeded to shower

Ranma was starting to use her normal soap, when a voice interrupted her.

"Ranma! Is everything okay in there?" Setsuna asked from out in the hallway.

"Uh, yes it is Setsuna-san," Ranma choked out, forgetting that she had her face in the stream of water. Worried that she might have been too loud as a guy, Ranma started to sweat under the spray.

"Oh, okay that's good," Setsuna said through the door. "Well, just remember that if something is wrong, I'm here for you."

"What would be wrong?" Ranma feigned innocence as she lathered up with the waterproof soap. Now that she was sure that healing stuff had not messed with her curse, she could lock it again and make sure that there was no chance of her becoming male.

"There is the matter of that Nabiki person."

"Oh yeah - right," Ranma called as she shut the water off. "I'll be out in a second."

Exiting the shower and grabbing a towel, Ranma scrubbed the remaining water off of her. An empty feeling crept into her gut and settled there. She looked at her reflection in the mirror above the sink as if she were looking at herself for the very first time. Leaning forward to look at her reflected eyes, she gripped the edges of the sink so hard that the porcelain threatened to break, Ranma studied her reflection in the mirror.

_"This is wrong. This is wrong." _

Those words kept repeating themselves in her mind as she continued to search herself, hoping to find some answers. She sagged a bit and exhaled loudly when no answers popped into mind. Taking another calming breath, Ranma allowed her fingers to ease up on their pressure as she tried to deal with her emotions.

_"I shouldn't be like this," _Ranma thought as she scrutinized her reflection - a reflection that had become all too familiar for her._ "I shouldn't be feeling like this - not like I am."_

Ranma searched her blue eyes in the mirror, looking for answers there - and fearing what those answers might be. The whole thing was preposterous. She couldn't be - not like she was. Looking back, it was sneaking up on her from almost day one, but she was too caught up in hiding out to really notice it. When the notion first crept into her consciousness, she pushed it away, denied it and ignored it in a vain hope that it would go away. It did not matter, the truth was written across her face as an elfish grin slowly spread across her lips.

She was happy.

For some reason that fact was hard to admit to herself. _Herself_.

Herself? She's a guy... she was a guy... is a guy... right? She shook off that uncomfortable train of thought without any effort.

For the first time in her life, Ranma could say she was truly happy. She felt free and unrestrained in what was supposed to be a temporary hiding place. Though the thought did cross her mind more than once to wonder why no one had found her yet, those thoughts were quickly forgotten in her new sense of freedom.

Freedom. She had never been so free in all her life. And with that freedom came the discovery that you could go out and have fun... and friends... and a real sense of belonging.

The only dark spot in her happiness was that it was all a lie. Ranma tried to push these thoughts away as she concentrated on fixing her hair. She had let the dye run out and was shocked to find she actually enjoyed how the brighter red complimented her perm.

_Her_ friends in _her_ new life accepted and cared for _her_. _Her_ boss liked _her_ enough to offer any help that was necessary with the problems that Nabiki's scheming had caused. Hotaru loved _her_ as a nanny and... like a big _sister_.

Ranma stopped. Those were natural feelings for a teenaged woman doing her hair while getting ready for her job as a nanny, but not as a martial artist, at least not a male one

_"This is bad," _Ranma concluded to herself. _"I really painted myself into a corner this time."_

But why? Why would it be so bad to stay like this?

_"Of course it would," _she mentally objected. _"I'm a guy, not a girl!"_

If I leave here, what do I have to go back to?

_"I can go back to being a guy," _Ranma pointed out to herself. The test before the shower proved that.

A guy who has unwanted suitors trying to marry him. A guy who has debt collectors hunting him down for debts that his father incurred. A guy who has so-called friends that try to use or kill him to obtain what they want. A guy whose Master is a pervert and would think of nothing about blaming all his misdeeds on him.

A silent moment followed.

_"What about Akane?" _Ranma mentally brought up in her internal dialogue. "_How about her, huh?"_

Another long silence followed as Ranma searched her feelings for the tomboy before a question popped up. _"Do I want to marry her?"_

Yet another long silence fell; a mental silence that betrayed her warring emotions. Ranma knew she was facing some disquieting truths._ "I like her,"_ she finally admitted to herself._ "I like her a lot, but I don't know if I - like her enough to marry her, but I do know that I like her."_

Then it's a no.

_"Dammit! I said I don't know,"_ Ranma objected to herself.

If she was the one, I would know.

_"It's not that easy. Honor-"_

Doesn't mean a damned thing when my father has broken many of his sworn oaths so many times. Which marriage arrangement should I honor? And how would I avoid dishonoring one to honor another? And what about everything else that comes flying out of the past that I don't know about?

Ranma lowered her head, lost between thoughts and feelings._ "If we did get married, it... it just wouldn't work out," _Ranma sadly realized. _"It would only be a matter of time before pressure to produce an heir, my current or other suitors coming out of the wood work, debts that my father rang up coming to haunt me and who knows how many other crazy rivals after me for something I did or didn't do..."_

Ranma gripped the edges of the sink more firmly as she stared down at the sink. Tears of frustration threatened to escape, but she was determined not to shame herself like that.

_"Too much baggage," _Ranma concluded. _"If Akane and I did get married, it would only be a matter of time before everything... everything that we have no control or responsibility over, would tear us apart."_

A tear tickled her as it traced her cheek, lingered on her chin before dropping into the sink. It was a painful truth that she had been avoiding for a while now. She did like Akane, she really did - she might even love her, but she knew that no matter what her feelings might be, in the long run it wouldn't be enough._ "Maybe we can be friends," _Ranma hoped.

I could see that. We do look out for each other.

_"Yeah, we do," _Ranma agreed as she thought of the times that Akane had or tried to help her in the past. Akane helping her escape from being sold off as a sex toy to a rich man figured prominently in her mind. _"How am I going to tell her without hurting her?"_

I have to be honest with her, I may not be able to avoid hurting her, but I owe her that much.

_"Damn," _Ranma swore to herself. _"When did life get so complicated?"_

Ranma looked up in the mirror and at her reflection, wondering when she started talking to herself.

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Setsuna raised an eyebrow slightly when she saw Ranma emerge from her evening shower. It hadn't escaped her notice that her employee had been unusually quiet this evening and only mentioned that she came to a decision about Nabiki before locking herself in the bathroom.

Now, she knew for certain that more was troubling the redhead because, while Ranma always wore her uniform well, today it was too... precise. Ranma was trying too hard. "What's wrong?" she asked gently.

Ranma looked up at her boss. Thinking about Akane had led to the other women in her life. Setsuna deserved the truth. "Miss Meioh, can we talk?" Ranma asked, bowing her head.

"Oh what's this about? Is it Hotaru? Or maybe that horrible Nabiki woman?" Setsuna asked. She knew this had to be hard for Ranma, but it was a good sign. Ranma had to overcome her past.

"Well..." Ranma hesitated as she sat down in the living room, next to Setsuna on the couch. Nabiki _was_ something she had been thinking about. She could tell Setsuna that was why she was all worried, and then ask for help. It would not be a lie, but it was not the truth. "Well... yeah... but there's something more important than that I have to talk to you about."

"It's okay. I knew you had a troubled past when I hired you." Setsuna smiled reassuringly. "Over these months I've come to trust your decisions with Hotaru and have felt that you're more than just a nanny. You're family, to both of us."

Ranma looked aside and found herself blushing for some reason. She had been a guest at the Tendos' much longer than her stay here, this was the first time she did feel like she was part of something bigger than herself. She knew this was going to be hard, but she had to do it.

"Don't be afraid. I've put a lot of trust into you, please put some in me," Setsuna pleaded as she took the smaller woman's hand inside hers. This had the affect of drawing Ranma closer to Setsuna.

"I did tell you about my past, but not everything," Ranma sighed, but Setsuna's nearness made her feel a bit shaky. "Please, don't think I'm a pervert."

Setsuna blinked as realization dawned on her. She did not expect Ranma to come clean about that part of her life, not this soon. "Why would I? You're a wonderful person. Hotaru loves you too."

The gender neutral content passed over Ranma's head. "You know that I was raised as a boy, right?" She ventured.

"That did slip out occasionally during conversation," Setsuna nodded, not smirking this time as the seriousness of situation dampened any amusement she would have otherwise found.

Ranma fidgeted with her apron. "It's because... because..." Ranma steeled herself for a moment and blurted out, "I was born a boy."

Ranma looked down at her lap at the end of her admission. Setsuna's hand never left Ranma's, and the redhead received several reassuring squeezes.

"Oh dear," Setsuna had not expected it to be phrased that way. More like: I am a boy, I'm cursed to become a girl, was more like what she envisioned, not the blunt delivery of the truth.

Ranma looked away from her lap and at the green-haired woman with wounded eyes. _"This is it_," she thought_ " I'm committed now. I gotta tell her the truth." _

"What happened?" Setsuna was curious as to how Ranma would explain her situation.

"It was magic. It was a curse, it made me a girl." Ranma blinked. That was the truth. Was it the whole truth?

"That must have been a very hard change to deal with," Setsuna ventured.

"Yes it was..." Ranma trailed off. "It was hard... but now..." Silence fell as Ranma mentally grasped for words.

"You're used to it?" Setsuna prompted.

"Er, kinda... I guess," Ranma said awkwardly. "It's like... I'm better - but not in a way I thought I would be."

"How?" Setsuna asked as she scooted closer to the younger girl. This had the affect of making Ranma feel even warmer. Ranma had always privately thought of Setsuna as beautiful, but the amount of concern that she was giving to her made Ranma feel better. No one had ever just cared for her, concerned themselves with what Ranma felt.

"It's like... I mean... I still I'm a guy..." Ranma half-heartedly said, hoping not to sound like a complete fool. "But I'm not quite... all guy... anymore."

"It must have been hard for you," Setsuna said sympathetically while releasing her hold on Ranma's hand, looping her arm around her shoulder and drawing the smaller girl into a half-hug.

"Hard? I'm happily living as a nanny with a nice perm and cute shoes." Ranma smiled ruefully while trying desperately not to blush. For some reason, being held by Setsuna was having quite an affect on her.

"At least you're happy," Setsuna pointed out. "That's what's important." Setsuna's mouth had gone dry. This was not following her, admittedly, rough plan. It made sense that a new life with less stress would make Ranma happy, but not that it would make Ranma more female than she started.

"Well, yeah." Ranma fidgeted nervously. "Helping Hotaru is nice, and I'm sure... well I'm a kind of a girl now ain't I?"

"You're not sure?"

"Well - I was raised in the wild. Pop's ideas about girls don't make much sense, and mom's ideas about being a man are just as bad. I can't really tell what I am." Ranma sighed. Life was complicated. "I know that I've felt most at home here, that's why I didn't want to tell... I was afraid."

"You didn't like this curse at the start did you?" Setsuna asked, knowing the answer.

"Of course I didn't," Ranma snorted. "It wasn't my body, and it was all off, but then..." Ranma shook her head. How did it come to this? Accidentally succeeding at being a girl... and now wanting it - even if she was not sure exactly that that meant.

"You're just Ranma then, in a cuter body?" Setsuna asked while reassuring Ranma with another hug.

The redhead flushed at the warmth of Setsuna's body next to hers. Feelings that she had been barely aware of were now welling up; it was both scary and reassuring at the same time. She decided to push those feelings down for now. "I was scared of losing my job and my new friends."

Setsuna did not press Ranma about avoiding her question - now was not the time. "Don't worry. I can see why you've kept that part of your past secret."

Ranma nodded, but her eyes were still skittish.

"Don't worry, please." Setsuna squeezed Ranma to her side again.

"You accept me? Just like that?" Ranma tugged at her apron.

"Yes, I accept you." Setsuna promised as she brought her other arm around, bringing Ranma into a full hug.

Ranma effortlessly leaned into the embrace. She felt safe being held by her... friend. The redhead felt she could get used to this attention. Was it getting warm in here? "What about my past?"

"That doesn't change who you are now."

"Who I am now?" Ranma muttered.

"That's for you to answer," Setsuna replied as she released Ranma from the embrace to look at her in the eye.

"So now what? You know the truth. I... I was... maybe I'm still a little bit... a guy." Ranma shivered at not really knowing anymore. What she had admitted to so far frightened her and she feared thinking further. "Hell, maybe I'm both! I really don't know anymore. This shouldn't be this hard! I don't..."

"Ranma, calm down," Setsuna said in a gentle, yet firm, way while placing a finger over the redheads lips. Involuntarily, Ranma's heart rate rose at the touch. Once Setsuna was satisfied that she had Ranma's attention, she continued. "Can you still become a male? What kind of curse is it?" Setsuna asked though she already knew the answer.

"Yeah, water changes me back and forth," Ranma answered as Setsuna removed her finger. It gave her the chance to control the mixture of emotions that was stirring in her. "Well, it normally does - I'm using this special soap that blocks the change."

"So you could have made yourself stay male." Setsuna noted.

"I was already-" Ranma closed her eyes. "I was just hiding then, but I still liked... I can't believe it," Ranma's shoulders sagged in defeat. "Is this how Ranma Saotome loses her manhood?"

"Her manhood?" Setsuna asked dryly.

"Gimmie a break, I'm a nanny now," Ranma said crossly.

"The uniform does compliment you," Setsuna smiled.

"Thanks," Ranma tried to say sarcastically, but failed; it came out as flat. Since first getting her uniforms a few months ago she had to let out the chest and hips a bit.

"But remember," Setsuna continued, "Clothes don't make the... person."

Blinking at that, Ranma eventually went with confusion.

"You are basically the same _good_ person now as when you arrived, right?" Setsuna asked.

"Er... I guess so," Ranma replied uncertainly. Though she knew she had lost a lot of her 'rough edges', she was still basically the same person she was.

"There you go," Setsuna said in a somewhat satisfied tone. "I can accept you because you are still you. Understand?"

Despite not really knowing where Setsuna was initially going, the meaning slowly crept upon her and she rewarded Setsuna with a bright smile. "Thanks," Ranma said sincerely. "I needed to hear that."

"And you cook very well." Setsuna's continued, eyes twinkling with mirth as she gave the compliment. It lightened the mood considerably. "Hotaru's no longer rail-thin. Rich meals and good exercise have done wonders, not to mention the help your lessons have given her."

Ranma's lips edged into smiles. Hotaru was the cornerstone to her new life. "It's all this good living. I never got the chance for regular meals..."

"And you wanted to make sure she got a good childhood, what you never got." Setsuna could see the effects of "good living" on Ranma's figure too.

Ranma pondered that before nodding in agreement. Standing up, she smoothed out her dress and apron and adjusted her pendant. "Should I start dinner then? Hotaru should be home from Michiru and Haruka's in an hour or so."

"How about we go out tonight?" Setsuna said with a little smile.

"Hotaru would like that," Ranma absently adjusted the tie to her apron. Maybe Setsuna could help explain her past to Hotaru - or perhaps not say anything. Ranma mentally shook her head; one thing at a time.

"I was thinking Hotaru could stay with Michiru and Haruka for the evening."

"Re-really?" Ranma choked, she felt as if an invisible hand clutched her heart. "Is this because you found out... I'm..." She closed her eyes; she did not want to continue that line of thought.

"No, of course not," Setsuna reassured. "I just thought it would be nice to spend some time together. I thought maybe we can go out... eat and talk some more."

"Oh," Ranma said in a calmer voice. "Er, do you... er, want me to be a guy?"

"No, I don't want you to be 'a guy' - that's something for you to decide on. So please don't worry, I'm not going to pressure you. I just think you deserve something nice... to be pampered for the evening."

"Oh, that sounds good," Ranma grinned teasingly.

"Then get yourself ready," Setsuna replied. "I'll make the reservations."

Ranma shrugged and walked back to her room. Setsuna noticed that the redhead had a noticeable spring in her step.

Setsuna made a series of phone calls and then took a quick shower. She then donned one of her suit skirts. She smirked at her reflection. It was a simple look, but effective. She then knocked on Ranma's door. "Are you ready?"

"Oh good," Ranma said as she opened the door. "Can you zip me?" She presented her bare back to Setsuna. Setsuna could not help but notice how wonderfully smooth Ranma's skin looked.

"Of course," the green-haired woman said as she zipped Ranma into her... gown. "Where did you get that?" Setsuna asked when she got a good look at Ranma.

"Oh this?" Ranma said as she adjusted the thick choker-like collar to her dress and clasped her pendant over it. "I picked it up a few weeks ago after Hotaru and I got through at Kikuko's."

The dress was a long, light blue number that matched the color of her eyes and went down to her shins and had a slit running up the left side. The thin silk that the dress was made of looked as if it had been tailored to hug her curves, especially her hips and bosom, while still not being overly tight in any of those areas.

The shoulders were a bit puffy, but not overly so, and the short sleeves allowed for a few inches of arm to be exposed before being hidden under the matching opera gloves. A pair of plain blue pumps were sitting on her bed. Some simple blue and green earrings were already in place. Her makeup was slightly more elaborate than normal, and her hair had been freshened and had more body and spring.

The whole ensemble may have looked plain on another woman, but on Ranma it accentuated her curves without being overt. Its modesty was enticing as well; it showed sensibility and maturity, as well as physical beauty. Setsuna felt that it hid a subtle sexuality... she mentally blinked; she was reading too much into things.

"Yes, you have a very good fashion sense. Classy, but understated. I was worried you'd pick something gaudy." Setsuna appraised. She was curious as to _why_ Ranma had bought such a lovely dress. Hotaru's enthusiasm only went so far. Something this pricey Ranma had to have bought for herself. Setsuna filed the question away for later.

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "I do know what I'm doing."

"Oh yes, I was complimenting your taste." Setsuna pondered as she watched Ranma bend down to pull a purse up off the closet floor and put it next to the matching shoes. She did dabble as a fashion designer. Perhaps Ranma would be interested...

Ranma walked over to Setsuna her hips swinging confidently. "So am I dressed good enough to be pampered?"

"Very much," Setsuna gave a little smile. It was amazing how Ranma opened up after getting her past off her chest. She seemed free to revel in her new life.

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"Please, relax," Setsuna said mirthfully to the woman that sat across from her. The redhead was doing an admirable job of controlling her fidgeting, but the air of apprehension still hung about her. Setsuna found a certain amount of amusement that Ranma, a person who could punch through concrete walls bare-fisted, would be nervous about eating at such a fine restaurant.

"Sorry." Ranma blushed in slight embarrassment; she felt like a fish out of water. "This place is just nicer than I was expecting." She looked around at the wood paneling on the walls and discrete lighting. It was nice - very nice.

Setsuna raised an eyebrow. "You're wearing opera gloves, a fancy dress, and got your hair permed."

"I like my hair this way," Ranma said crossly. Then it hit her: She really did like her hair up out of the way like this. She filed that tidbit away for self examination later, right now she wanted to concentrate on the here and now.

"I do too. Though it took some getting used to," Setsuna laughed.

"Tell me about it," Ranma sighed. She understood the morning ritual women had now. Maintaining her hair took a bit more work than that pigtail, but the advantage was that her hair did not whack her in the face when she completed a spin kick any more. Her attention perked up when she saw a waiter approach their table.

"Would either of you elegant two ladies care to place an order?" the thin waiter asked respectfully with a bow.

Ranma slid on her thin glasses. Once she had them in place she boggled at her menu before her; there was so much she wasn't sure about. "Well... I dunno..." The smell of grilled steak from the other tables was exotic and intoxicating and not helping her decisiveness.

"She'll have two top sirloin steaks," Setsuna said giving Ranma a reassuring smile.

"How would you like them grilled, rare, medium, or well?"

"Blue," Setsuna said.

"Blue?" Ranma asked. She was nervous... even with her new salary, the prices at this place were shocking. She rubbed the bridge of her nose, just where her glasses were perched.

"Very rare. Trust me you'll like it," Setsuna explained. "Now she'll want both the baked potato with sour-cream and the steak fries."

"And for you?" the waiter asked.

"Rare mignon fillet, with the peppercorn dry rub." Setsuna was not too hungry and knew she had to pace herself. Her appetite was nothing compared to Ranma's. Seeing the waiter nod. "And what red wines are good tonight? This is my friend's first steak and I want it to be good for her."

Ranma's eyes glazed over as the waiter and Setsuna discussed wine. It was like some secret code or something. Dry? Were not all wines liquid and therefore wet? Ranma sighed at her ignorance as she peeled off her gloves, and looked down at her lap. Manicured hands and strong arms, with delicate creamy skin, poked out from loose ribbons of silk gloves. She twitched subtlety and folded her gloves and put them in her purse.

"I'm sorry," Setsuna said to Ranma after she and the waiter had made their decision. The redhead's nervous fidgeting was adorable.

"It's okay... this is just... well..." Ranma coughed. "It's..." Ranma looked around the richly decorated restaurant as she grappled for words, "... the nicest date I've ever been on." She then used the chance to return her glasses to her purse. There should not be any more reading for the night.

Setsuna's eyes widened. She knew Ranma's past was lacking in affection, but if the bar was so low that merely ordering in a nice restaurant was the top... then the fullness of what Setsuna had planned for tonight would blow the redheaded nanny away.

Realizing what she had just said, Ranma gasped at Setsuna. "No! It's not like that. I know it's not a romantic date. We're both girls... well... I'm... and you... I don't want you thinking... that I'm... ack... trying anything with you... I'm not some guy... some perverted guy." As the redhead babbled her cheeks and ears began to match her curled hair.

"Just calm yourself," Setsuna said reassuringly while giving Ranma's hand a squeeze; this had the desired affect of calming the younger woman. She looked over to see that the waiter had returned with the wine. "Now just sip it. I don't want to have to carry you," she advised as Ranma's glass was filled.

Ranma nodded as she recalled her lack of tolerance and gingerly drank. She swallowed and then took a few breaths. The flush on her cheeks stayed but her ears cooled. "It's okay I guess," she finally said running a finger over the rim of the crimson-filled glass.

"We'll have to refine that palate of yours." Setsuna took a sip. "Besides it'll taste better when it compliments your meal."

Ranma nodded. "It's just... I don't know any of this stuff." Her voice was soft and she hesitantly took another small sip.

"You're doing great. So what else is on your mind?" Setsuna planned to avoid mentioning gender. Ranma was still trying to sort through that herself, and in light of the admission she had made earlier that night, any undo pressure would not be a good idea.

"Random attacks," Ranma said as she put her glass down. The intimate atmosphere and Setsuna's presence did have a soothing effect and she eased herself back more into the comfortable chair. "Sure, it's not Nerima, and no one knows I'm here, but I'm still Ranma."

"You're waiting for the other shoe to drop." Setsuna guessed as she took a sip of her glass. The waiter actually knew his vintages. That was good. This restaurant was lacking a proper sommelier, though their servers were fair wine waiters.

"No that's not it." Ranma's pose became less stiff. "I just don't want to have to worry about crap like that. Challenges and quests, they're distracting. I love martial arts, but most of the nonsense back then wasn't martial arts," Ranma cocked her head in an introspective way. "Petty fights. That's all it was... petty fights."

"I see," Setsuna replied.

"Not really," Ranma shrugged, causing her puffy shoulders to bounce merrily. "It wasn't that bad really. It was an adventure and I liked all the attention, but I don't want to be some prize." Ranma sipped some more wine. After she put the glass down she looked at the lipstick stain she left on the rim, seeming to focus on the red print for a long moment.

"Ranma?"

"I like this life. I really do," Ranma admitted. "I like my friends. I love my job. I've never had it this good," she smiled at Setsuna. "Thanks for trusting me."

"But what will you do?" Setsuna asked. She noted that Ranma had nearly finished her first glass. Once Ranma had enough to take the edge off, Setsuna would have to make sure Ranma slowed down. They had a long night ahead.

"If they mess with me - or anyone I care about - I'll... make sure that they'll regret it," Ranma said as her wineglass was refilled. She thanked the waiter with a dazzling smile and turned back to Setsuna. "Though I suppose you could use your connections to help with the other stuff."

"Like Nabiki?"

Ranma considered that for a brief moment, then nodded her head. "Like Nabiki," she echoed.

"What are you going to do about Nabiki," Setsuna delicately asked.

Ranma's reply was interrupted by the waiter confidently striding toward the table with a lifted tray.

He first gently set Setsuna's dainty cut of meat in front of the older woman. Then with a flourish he deposited an immense wooden platter in front of Ranma. The redhead's nose flared at the scent. The pair of steaks were flanked by the side dishes and the platter had a channel along the edge so that the blood that oozed from them pooled in a small basin at one edge.

"I would recommend Miss wait a few minutes for the steak to properly set," the waiter said as he placed a large knife and an equally sturdy fork to the sides of Ranma's platter.

A tiny spoon was placed next to the blood basin.

"Uh... yeah," Ranma gulped staring at the pieces of meat. She had seen meat before, but not prepared like this and not in this amount and not all for her.

"Will there be anything else?" the waiter asked.

"Just some more wine," Setsuna said watching Ranma. The poor girl was practically salivating.

"Very good. Enjoy," the waiter bowed and left the table.

"So what are you planning to do about Nabiki?" Setsuna repeated as she nibbled some steamed asparagus that came with her steak.

Ranma stared at her platter in thought; the unreal portions of richness were distracting. She was at a loss... and hungry. "I think the authorities need to be called in," she finally said before taking a bite of baked potato.

"She's gotten involved in some rotten stuff." Setsuna noted the smile the side dish generated in Ranma, and looked forward to when the redhead tried her steaks.

"It's not like she planned it. She never does," Ranma grumbled irritably before the truth of her own statement dawned on her; it was Nabiki's thoughtless opportunism that angered her. Nabiki did not have any concern that she was ruining Ranma's - or anyone else's - life; she just seized an opportunity to make some money, regardless of the cost to others.

"That's no excuse," Setsuna watched Ranma's thoughtful expression. She had a small file on Nabiki, and what she had found out confirmed that petty opportunism.

"No, but it's an explanation." Ranma sighed as she re-eyed the steaks. "Nabiki's a jerk. She saw a chance to make money, and started doing whatever it took to get the big payoff." She ate a few more bites of potato and looked longingly at her steaks. The lightly charred meat cuts waffled such a heavenly and primal scent taunted her.

"So that's that then? You're going to call the police?" Setsuna noticed that Ranma had closed her eyes. The older woman idly noted that Ranma was quite skillful in applying her eyeshadow and eyeliner.

"Yeah, I know enough about her and Mr. Huang to put some serious hurt on them." Ranma looked at her employer. "Of course, I could always use some help. You are a respected member of the community and all."

"Excuse me ladies, but your steaks have set for long enough," the waiter said as he, discreetly, refilled their glasses.

Ranma gave a predatory smile and grabbed the silverware. Despite her gusto, she maintained decorum and civility. With a slight effort she sliced a chunk of meat off of the first steak. The interior was a deep red that _almost_ gave a ghostly hint of being blue. Her eyes watched as a blood drop fell from the chunk and landed on her platter.

Immediately after the morsel entered her mouth Ranma's eyes lit up. The rugged, simple, and succulent flavor satisfied a need in her that she did not even know existed. Primeval cravings were sated by the bloody meat. It was a fascinating contrast to the sophisticated and refined atmosphere of the restaurant.

Ranma went back to her knife and cut another piece and consumed it. This she chewed more thoughtfully savoring the experience. After a few more pieces she sipped some wine and froze as the flavors mingled in her mouth.

"I told you the wine would complement your steak." Setsuna said after eating a couple slices of her steak. She was impressed. Despite her obvious pleasure, Ranma was taking care not to spill a drop onto her fine dress.

"Yeah, it would," Ranma said before going back to her meal. After decimating her first steak she looked back to Setsuna. "Thank you. This... this is wonderful," Ranma blushed.

"It's the least I could do. You've been a wonderful nanny, and you needed this," Setsuna warmly smiled. "Oh, don't forget about your blood. It's kind of redundant on the steak, but I always liked it on my potatoes."

Ranma started experimenting with the blood and was delighted to find the flavors created when mixed. Even her steak could be enhanced by dribbling some on it. "Thanks," she said before continuing her contented consumption.

"It's my pleasure." Setsuna put down her fork and watched her employee eat. She took a sip of wine and resumed working on her own steak.

"So what's yours like?" Ranma asked. She has started on her second steak and had noticed that Setsuna was slicing hers into thin strips.

"Would you care for a taste?" Setsuna offered a forked piece to her companion.

"Oh, why thank you," Ranma sounded extra polite as she leaned out toward Setsuna to take a bite of the offered food from the end of the fork.

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"This really has been nice," Ranma said as she walked down the street next to Setsuna. The walk had been brisk and helped settle things.

"Oh, it's not over," Setsuna said with a mischievous smile.

"What've you got planned?" Ranma asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you still hungry?" Setsuna had stopped walking.

Ranma blushed. She was always hungry, even when Setsuna had been discreetly handed what had to be an immense bill. "Oh, no. I'm fine." She did not want to abuse her boss' hospitality.

"That's a shame," Setsuna shrugged sadly. "I did just happen to make reservations at this Italian place, but if you don't want some nice rich pasta. I'll just go in and cancel. Sorry, if I offended you."

Ranma watched Setsuna open the door of the restaurant and was immediately assaulted by a rich blend of aromas that wafted out. "Wait no! I'm hungry," she cried as she chased after her. The redhead shortly found herself whisked into another richly appointed dining room. This one was airy and more brightly lit than the steakhouse. It reminded her a bit of how Picolet's mansion was decorated.

"Anything look good to you?" Setsuna asked after they were handed menus. She was pleased to see Ranma more at ease. It would be good to get Ranma used to class.

"I'm not sure." Ranma fretted over the menu. She wondered why she even bothered putting her glasses on. "Um... could you order for me?"

"Trusting my taste, again?" Setsuna smiled.

"Well you're so good at it." Ranma playfully removed her glasses and fluttered her eyelashes flirtingly before breaking into a fit of giggles.

"Oh alright," Setsuna knew what to get for Ranma; she just had to decide what she was getting for herself. She made her decision and talked with the waiter. Unlike the steakhouse this place had a sommelier. During the ensuing conversation on which wine to get she noticed Ranma start to play with her gloves. Setsuna made a note to start educating Ranma in at least the basics of wine.

"Sorry, I get a bit carried away sometimes." Setsuna said after the sommelier returned with the bottle. Setsuna smiled when Ranma sipped her wine and actually looked contemplative. The sommelier bowed and went to another table.

Ranma put her glass down. "It's okay. There's nothing wrong with being enthusiastic. Hotaru's like that all the time."

"Hard to imagine that the shy, frail girl you met those months ago would become that little firecracker," Setsuna said before sampling the wine.

"She's still pretty weak, and'll always be willowy," Ranma shrugged. "But yah, she's got some real spirit to her."

"You really like working with her," Setsuna appraised.

"It's like having... a little sister, and it's great that the art can help her." Ranma brushed a strand of hair back behind her ear. "I'm just glad she's got someone like you to raise her. She really needs someone to love her and help her with stuff." She sighed. "Hotaru's alone the rest of her life: outsider at school, and afraid of her powers and being different."

"You've done more for her than I have," Setsuna said reaching out to grab Ranma's hand.

"I... guess," Ranma blushed. It was scary to think of having that important of a role in a child's life. "That does come with the job doesn't it. I mean, I'm her nanny right?"

"The best," Setsuna assured.

Ranma coughed. She assumed that someone praising her and padding her ego would feel good like it had in the past, especially in an expensive restaurant, but instead her face was flushed and she felt embarrassed at the attention.

"It's okay to be proud of what you're doing. I wanted the best, and you nailed your interview. You treat Hotaru like family."

Ranma smiled but her blush remained. "Hotaru... Hotaru's-" she paused. "- she's very important to me. I really want to help her."

"And you're doing great, always remember that." Setsuna said, just as a pair of waiters approached.

Ranma eyed the salad that was placed in front of Setsuna. It was full of whole tomato slices and the scent from it was a heavenly mixture of oils and spices. Then the second waiter arrived and placed Ranma's meal down. The plate was a giant china platter and on it was a layered structure of an unfamiliar cheese, giant noodles, and a thick tomato sauce full of meat and hearty spices.

"Wow, they actually gave you the whole pan," Setsuna dryly said with approval.

"This… this is amazing." Ranma said as the aroma hit her, making her stomach demand immediate attention. "Do I have to wait for this to set too?"

"Oh no. You can dig right into your lasagna." Setsuna said before eating some of her tomato salad. It was a simple dish, but if the right spices were added... it could be amazing. Though it did lack the shear inertia of Ranma's meal.

Ranma picked up the fork and knife; once again her meal was too heavy for chopsticks. She separated a large piece and put it into her mouth. She had tomato sauce and noodles and cheese before, but did not know what to expect.

"Good?" Setsuna mirthfully asked after Ranma's delightful reaction.

Ranma nodded and ate another piece. She looked at the plate and decided on a third. Unlike the steak, this food was a composite of textures and flavors. "What... what kind of cheese is this?" she asked after using a napkin to dab her lips.

"Ricotta is the main one. I'm sure there's some mozzarella too. Maybe a bit of parmigiano reggiano. Though that's a harder cheese."

"Figures you'd know about cheeses," Ranma said as she cut another piece.

"Yes, I do. You know that; you've sampled some of the more exotic ones I have when Haruka and Michiru were over for that dinner party."

Ranma chewed the cut piece and swallowed. "That was fun. They make a cute couple. Even if Haruka is a bit too pretty boy for my tastes."

Setsuna raised an eyebrow. She had assumed Ranma had not changed in that regard... As she sipped some wine, she supposed that her nanny could have figured out Haruka's real gender and was turned off by a girl dressing as a boy. Though there was that Ukyou person in Ranma's past after all.

"Uh... Setsuna?" Ranma asked once her boss had stared off into space for a bit too long.

"Oh I was just wondering Haruka and Michiru. It's great that they found each other. Amazing given their age," Setsuna shrugged and resumed her meal.

"Yeah, that is nice for them." As Ranma ate, she looked at her single boss and pondered. Setsuna was a fairly busy woman and did go out with business associates and others to network, but Ranma could not remember a single date. In the months Ranma had lived with her, she had never seen her boss appear even remotely interested in anyone.

While she made a considerable dent into her huge lasagna, Ranma pondered on that. Tonight was the closest thing Setsuna had to a date, she then blinked at the realization that the same could be said for herself. _"It's not the same, I've got Nami and Kimiko._ _Well, I guess Haruka and Michiru count for Setsuna. Wow, no wonder Setsuna adopted Hotaru and is so nice to me. She's lonely."_

Chewing idly, Ranma sized up what she knew about the green-haired woman sitting across from her.

_"Just like me... I wonder if she's got family problems too. She's never mentioned any family." _Ranma looked down at thesecond meal in front of her. Setsuna really did think of her as more than just an employee. "_She wants me as a friend." _Ranma concluded.

"So, what are you thinking about?" Setsuna asked, returning the favor.

"Uh... well..." Ranma shook herself from her contemplations and tried to think of something else. "About Nabiki... Yeah... I'm wondering what'll happen with that. I'm ready to talk to the police, but do you think they'll care?"

"Why wouldn't they? It's kidnapping and slavery."

"I'm sure Mr. Huang will get it, maybe he'll just be stuck in Hong Kong, that is where this mess started." Ranma picked at her food and took a small bite of the deliciousness. "He's bad, but I want Nabiki to get hers too. If she wasn't pickin' at things it would have all blown over."

"She is largely responsible," Setsuna agreed.

"I dunno if what I have to say is enough. I know a lot of dirt on her, but that's not really proof." Ranma shrugged and sipped some wine. The white was different in ways she could not describe. Maybe Setsuna was right about this culture stuff. "Eh, maybe they'll get interested enough and do some digging, but then what?"

"Hoping that someone starts looking to find the skeletons in her closet?"

"They'll just find hundreds of little scams and shady deals," Ranma replied. "Up until now, she was always small time."

"How can you be so sure? It's not like Nabiki would tell people what she's been up to," Setsuna pointed out with a cock of the head.

Ranma stared wide-eyed at the woman across from her. It was a fact that she had not considered before. Thinking back, even Akane did not have any real idea what Nabiki did or was capable of doing. If even after growing up together, Nabiki's own sister had so little knowledge, than it stood to reason that Ranma knew less than she thought about the middle Tendo child. "I guess," Ranma conceded. "So... what do I do?"

After taking a quick sip of her wine, Setsuna smiled a bit to reassure Ranma. "Let me look into a few things - and then we'll go to the police together."

Ranma nodded slowly as she worked on the bite in her mouth. "Okay," she agreed after swallowing. "What now?"

Smiling as she wiped her mouth daintily, a gleam in Setsuna's eyes seemed too intensify. "Dessert."

"Oh what do you have in mind?" Ranma asked her mind conjuring visions of sweet confections.

"It's a surprise. Though we can't go until you finish your meal," Setsuna joked offhandedly.

Ranma looked down at the remaining quarter of her lasagna and went to work. It was a great offer: In return for eating the delicious food in front of her she could get even more.

Setsuna shook her head and went back to nibbling on her salad. She should have realized that Ranma did not understand sarcasm when food was the subject. Setsuna continued to catch glances of the redhead's progress and her energetic, but neat manners.

"Oh, that was good," Ranma said as she leaned back slightly, leaving the fork and knife crossed in the center of an empty platter. Stretching slightly and inconspicuously, she felt the heavy meal as it rested weightily in her stomach.

"How was it?" Setsuna asked. Towards the end they had both exchanged tastes, and while it was good, the older woman found the lasagna a bit too rich.

"Oh it was wonderful. Thank you. I've never been treated this way." Ranma's eyes twinkled in delight, and she stood up. "I'm going to freshen up. Excuse me."

Setsuna smiled. At least Ranma had a grasp on euphemisms. "Of course." Once Ranma had left for the bathroom. Setsuna flagged down the waiter and settled the bill. She then sipped her wine and waited for her employee to return.

She sighed. Things were working well - and that had her worried. Ranma had come completely clean and the redhead was not hiding anything from her employer anymore, a woman replete with secrets. Ranma had to learn more and more about Hotaru, but that was inevitable; her job was to watch and care for the young girl.

As she contemplated, Setsuna took another sip, letting the flavor of the wine settle in her mouth. Before there was a parity of hidden agendas, but not anymore; the tables had turned unexpectedly and she had to decide on how much she should tell Ranma.

_"I owe her more of the truth,"_ she thought. _"But how much of the truth should I tell her?" _Setsuna paused to take a sip, the wine was quite good. _"She deserves to know more about what makes her charge so special."_ Her thoughts drifted as she watched Ranma hip-sway her way back to the table; the movement was captivating.

"Are you ready?" Ranma asked as she gently sat back down into her chair.

Setsuna's weak smile was quickly replaced with a convincingly joyful one. "As soon as you are," she said looking over Ranma's blue gown.

"One second," Ranma said as took a mint from the tray that the waiter had left when he retrieved the bill from Setsuna.

"This is really the first time you've had to calm down and unwind isn't it?" Setsuna asked, after taking a mint of her own.

"Hotaru and school do keep me busy," Ranma said as she idly moved one of her curls. She had touched up her hair and makeup in the bathroom, but that spiral in front of her left ear would never stay in the proper place. "Not that I don't get to have any fun. There's going out with Kimiko and Nami, and there's this which is different, but still great."

Setsuna nodded in agreement. "It is... and then there's also keeping up on hair and fashion," Setsuna added with a playful smirk.

Ranma flushed. She didn't feel embarrassed, but she did feel uncomfortable about that line of thought. As far as she was concerned, her keeping up with fashion used to be all part of her disguise. _"Used to be?"_ She mentally pondered. "No, wait... it's all part of..." Ranma stopped in mid response, and gathered her thoughts.

"I know I know. It's a girly hairstyle, but I... well... you know. Though I do kinda wish it was less cute." As she slid her gloves back on, she considered letting her hair grow out again, but that would give Kikuko more material to work with, and her spirals could get even longer.

"I meant from before. It took you months, but your paranoia's started to drain away," Setsuna said as the two got up and left their table.

"Yeah," Ranma agreed offhandedly as she walked beside the taller woman. "At first I was always worried about being discovered and... made to do things that I didn't want to do. But now it's been so long... you know... Say, you know, it's strange that no one has found me yet; heck, I haven't even run across Ryoga."

Setsuna just smiled.

The pair stood at the restaurant's exit. Ranma briefly watched the progression of people and cars before speaking again. "I thought I was living in hiding, living a lie. It took me a while to realize that this life was better than what I was hiding from."

"How good can something be if you have to hide from it?" Setsuna asked.

"Not that good," Ranma admitted. "It's just that... I didn't think... that this would be... permanent." Ranma looked to her companion.

"It'll be what you want it to be." Setsuna said, leading them towards their destination. "After this Nabiki thing gets sorted out-"

"What? Mr. Tendo will love it when he learns that I told the police about his baby girl." Ranma shook her head ruefully. "And I know my dad'll be angry that I cost him whatever bribe that freak offered him. No, I'm not so naïve that I think I can go back, even after Nabiki's been taken care of. 'Course I got out, I'm on my own and have it good, others ain't so lucky."

"Nabiki's siblings?" Setsuna inquired.

"Yeah, Akane and Kasumi. Kasumi'll be okay I guess. Akane... I dunno," Ranma looked down and watched her shoes and dress move as she walked. "She might need help."

"You feel that you abandoned her?"

"A bit, but she's not the one Nabiki and Mr. Huang are after." Ranma looked to her boss. "Is that right? I've been warning her though, and I think she's starting to see Nabiki for what she is."

"It's hard to see betrayal, especially when it's family that does it," Setsuna flatly agreed.

Ranma paused. Again she wondered what had caused Setsuna to cut off all contact with her family. Was it betrayal of some sort? Pondering this, Ranma realized that everyone in the apartment was alone. Hotaru was an orphan with no family other than Setsuna and her aunt and uncle - that she had no real relation to... and her nanny. Ranma knew her family situation, but Setsuna... what was going on with her?

"It would be easier if Nabiki were actually evil. You know, if her schemes were more damaging, but she's not bad enough for me to really fight. I can't hit her, but she can ruin my life," Ranma smirked and adjusted her opera gloves. "Well, she could ruin that life."

"You have a unique definition of evil then," Setsuna said as she paused in their walk. She faced Ranma with a most serious look on her face. "Most anyone would consider what Nabiki is doing evil."

Ranma blinked. It became clear to her how much she had been overlooking and excusing what the middle Tendo girl was doing. If she, an outsider to the family, was capable of making excuses for the behavior of Nabiki, then Akane and the rest of Nabiki's family must have done it more then they themselves want to admit to. But the time for excuses was past, it was time for some justice.

"Ranma?" Setsuna asked with a gentle tug on the nanny's arm.

"Yeah." Ranma shifted her weighted body. "Nabiki did it herself. Whatever happens to her because of this, is her fault - and hers alone." Ranma looked at her finery and shrugged. Time and distance had helped but she still felt the slow anger at what Nabiki had done, what Nabiki had forced her to do.

"We're here," Setsuna said drawing Ranma's attention.

The nanny looked up to see a quaint shop with lots of shinny metal accents and a large countertop. It reminded Ranma of the... soda shop, she thought the name was, featured in that old American movie she had watched with Hotaru a few weeks ago.

Setsuna opened the door for her, and Ranma stepped into place with a scent that was somehow more pleasurable than either of the other restaurants. A hostess in a cutesy, but high class, uniform smiled and asked for their names.

Ranma watched as Setsuna introduced herself to a woman wearing a pale-pink dress. The redhead realized that the hostess, and the other staff in the restaurant were dressed in a vaguely old fashioned and stylized manner. Thanks to Kimiko, "retro" was now tangentially part of her vocabulary, and that word fit the theme of this place.

The hostess led them to one of many plush booths and gave them a pair of menus. Shortly after that a similar uniform, this time she had an apron on, sauntered up. "Would either of you care for a drink?" she asked pulling out a pad.

Setsuna ordered a coffee for herself and after a moment's thought a French vanilla milkshake for Ranma.

"You like ordering for me," Ranma dryly noted.

"You like it too." Setsuna said flashing another genuine smiles.

"Yeah," Ranma blushed; Setsuna was really getting to her tonight.

Setsuna smirked.

"I do feel a bit overdressed," Ranma confessed as she removed her gloves and once again stored them in her purse.

"Nonsense," Setsuna said as she gazed at the blue gown. "You look very proper and dignified."

Ranma cracked a smile. She knew she looked good, and was starting to discover the powers of subtlety. She did not need to flaunt her body to... well.. flaunt it. Her dress had no exposed cleavage and was not that short, but she still looked great in it.

_"Besides," _she thought with a little chuckle_. I'm a role model for Hotaru. I can't have her think that it's okay to dress like some hussy. _Ranma came to the sudden and disquieting conclusion that she - that is _he_ - had learned feminine modesty. She picked up a menu and started looking at the items to distract herself from those disturbing thoughts and soon found herself engrossed at the selections and wondered what Setsuna would order for her.

Shortly, the waitress had returned with their beverages. "We make our shakes thick, Hon," the waitress laughed after seeing Ranma try to drink hers.

"Yeah," Ranma nodded after she worked up the suction to consume the thick white fluid. "Oooh, that is nice."

Setsuna and the waitress shared little smirks. Setsuna then looked at the specials and made her decision. "We'll have the double chocolate cheesecake."

"That's very good. So will you each be having a slice?" the waitress asked.

"No, we'll be having a whole cheesecake if that's possible," Setsuna smiled, at Ranma who was eagerly sucking at her beverage. "And another milkshake when it comes out too."

Studying the young... person across from her, Setsuna couldn't help but notice just how much Ranma's face was an open book to her emotions.; it was obvious that the redhead was troubled. Deciding to get to the bottom of Ranma's discontent, Setsuna cleared her throat, getting her table-mate's attention.

"Is anything wrong?" Setsuna asked as the waitress laid a plate before Ranma and herself. Ranma looked like she was lost for a moment before blinking a few times and focusing on her table mate.

"No... yes," Ranma replied, irritation leaking into her voice. "I... It's just that..." Ranma fell silent as she obviously wrestled with something internal.

"Ranma?"

"There's something else... something that had just sprang up in the last couple of days," Ranma managed out.

"What is it?" Setsuna asked as she leaned back in her seat. "If there is anything that I can do to help you, you know I will. You can trust me."

Her lips making a thin line across her face, Ranma contemplated briefly. "It's not a matter of trust," Ranma explained. "It's just that - I'm not sure what's going on myself."

"Why don't you tell me about it. If anything, maybe I can help you figure it out," Setsuna offered as she leaned forward, bringing herself closer to Ranma.

"Okay," Ranma sighed out. "You know how Hotaru can heal other people?" Setsuna nodded in affirmation. "Well... I kinda can do the same thing."

The atmosphere thickened as a silence fell between the two.

"Excuse me?" Setsuna asked, clearly caught flatfooted at Ranma's admission.

"I mean...," Ranma stumbled verbally before pausing a moment, then beginning again. "I mean, I can heal people by touching them - like Hotaru can."

Setsuna blinked._ This_ was most unexpected. Her mind raced around some odd possibilities before slowing; more information was needed. "Are you sure?" She asked.

Nodding, Ranma replied as she leaned toward Setsuna for emphasis. "Oh yes, I even healed some kid in the park the other day. He fell out of a tree and broke his arm; I touched him and his arm healed right before my eyes."

Setsuna regarded Ranma for a few heartbeats. "How long have you been able to do this?" queried Setsuna. She was a bit alarmed; she knew most of what Ranma could and could not do and this wasn't factored into anything she knew about the boy turned girl.

Leaning back in thought, Ranma searched her memories before shaking her head. "I'm not sure," she admitted. "The only other thing that sticks out in my mind was that time when Kimiko got a cut on her arm a few weeks ago." Ranma then stared at Setsuna. "I thought it was odd how fast the cut healed, but since I have always been a fast healer, I figured... I just didn't think much of it at the time."

"I see..." Setsuna said. Tonight was proving to be full of surprises.

"And now that I am thinking about it... along with what happened at the park... I don't know," Ranma sighed out. "I know I never used to be able to do that. What does this mean?"

"I'm not sure," Setsuna admitted. "But as long as it is not dangerous to you or anyone else, I wouldn't fret too much about it."

Shifting in her seat, it was obvious that Ranma did not feel very reassured by Setsuna's words.

Reaching across the table, Setsuna took Ranma's hand in hers. "I'm sure it is nothing to worry about," she said with a broad, disarming smile that hid her concern masterfully. "Hotaru has had no ill affects from her gift," the green-haired woman pointed out.

Scrunching her features in thought, Ranma eventually conceded. "Okay."

Setsuna shrugged. Ranma had been totally honest tonight; she deserved some reciprocation. "I really have no idea why you've got this gift, but I promise we _will_ get to the bottom of this."

"Thank you. Maybe it'll help me to understand Hotaru's gift too." Ranma nodded. In a way strangeness creeping into her life was reassuring. Things had been getting a bit too normal with her new job, and it was not like her new powers would cause any trouble. It was just healing. "Maybe that's why I connected to Hotaru so well. I've always been a fast healer, but now... but now I'm healing others."

"Exactly, it doesn't seem bad, but we should figure it out." Setsuna smiled again. "And now, if I'm not mistaken, our cheesecake is here." She made a mental note to look into Ranma's recent past as soon as possible; this was not something she would have overlooked and that suggested that this had to be a new development. It was too... perfect - Ranma was _becoming_ exactly what Hotaru needed.

Looking to one side, Ranma spied that waitress as she came in carrying a large metal platter with one hand and had a milkshake mixer in the other. With a compliment she placed the cheesecake and then swapped Ranma's empty milkshake for the new one.

Setsuna gave a small smile of satisfaction. The chocolate sauce-drizzled cheesecake looked sinfully decedent. It was perfect. She started cutting, and on reflection made it a modest piece. The better to tempt with.

"Wow, that does look good," Ranma gawked as she eyed the round, dark colored cake between them.

"It is," Setsuna affirmed as she placed a small bit on the end of her fork.

Ranma nodded, but her emotions dragged her away from admiring the cake and back to what she was feeling. "You know what? I wished I knew then what I know now," she said as she watched Setsuna cut a bite from the cake with a fork. "I probably could have avoided a lot of headaches."

"The advantages of growing older," quipped Setsuna. "Open up."

Ranma obeyed the green-haired woman and took the offered food; then Ranma's eyes got big - very big - as the flavor of the food hit her.

She had chocolate before, but never like this. The rich confection of flavors was transcendent. She could almost feel the whole of creation within the morsel of cake- hell it _was_ very the meaning of life, the universe and _everything_. Ranma felt her body shudder involuntarily in pleasure as the cheesecake melted in her mouth and flowed into every fiber of her being. Spikes of obscenely concentrated delight shot down her spine, rounded her seat and shot back up front back to her taste buds.

A smile bloomed on Ranma's face while a small moan escaped her. She bit down on her lower lip to try to hold it back in. After that brief respite she hungrily looked at the remainder of the cake.

Grinning at Ranma's reaction, Setsuna ignored the raised eyebrows and looks that a handful of other patrons were giving them and cut another small piece of the cake. She held it out for Ranma's eager mouth; it was devoured greedily.

"Oh my" Ranma said her voice dripping with pleasure as another spike shot through her body, causing her to ever so slightly twitch. She then giggled when she realized she had said Kasumi's line. Ranma looked down and remembered that she was wearing a frilly silk gown and being hand fed delicious desserts.

The waitress who stood nearby cocked her head toward Setsuna. "First time?"

Setsuna replied with a nod and smirk as Ranma's moans got a bit louder.

Ranma put her fork down and flushed with embarrassment. She tried to nonchalantly sip some of her milkshake but the complementary flavors almost set her off again. Hand trembling she lowered the glass and looked at her plate. The slice of cake was almost gone.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't let you go empty," Setsuna said as she cut another slice and placed it in front of her employee. Then after some consideration she put an equal-sized slice in front of herself.

Ranma tried to pout but the scent transformed her expression to a ravenous one, and the gowned-girl grabbed her fork.

As Setsuna watched the redhead achieve new heights of... _culinary_ delight, she partook of some of the cheesecake. She briefly closed her eyes. It was better than she could have hoped. Ranma would not stand a chance.

"You're too good to me," Ranma complimented in between eating and mutterings of pleasure. After her forth piece she leaned back and put her hands to the straining silk around her stomach.

"Full?" Setsuna mirthfully asked. "Has the mighty Nanny Ranma been brought low by a simple dessert?"

Ranma gave Setsuna a serious eye, "I'll finish."

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Ranma held an elegant box in her gloved hands as she watched Setsuna lean over to pay the taxi driver. She watched the graceful moves of her companion and how smooth and exact her motions were. She always thought of Setsuna as beautiful, and tonight she did not disappoint. Smiling, she turned her attention to the box in her hands that held the remains of her cheesecake and rued the fact that there was only so much she could eat, and wondered if she should do something to remedy that limit. Of course she could have tried, but not without making herself sick. As good as the cheesecake was it wasn't worth embarrassing Setsuna like that.

_"Besides,"_ Ranma smirked to herself as she ran a finger over the box that contained concentrated chocolate delight, _"this way I can share it with Hotaru._"

The prospect of not just sampling this treasure of a dessert again, but sharing it with her charge pleased her; she imagined what Hotaru's face would be like on the first bite. The surprise that she planned for Hotaru made Ranma feel a bit giddy. It was not until Setsuna had returned and hooked her arm around Ranma's that the redhead pulled out of her musings.

"What were you thinking about?" Setsuna teased As the two started to walk to the door to their apartment building.

"Um... Chocolate," Ranma blushed. "Man that was good," she warbled out, leaning on the taller girl. With one hand on her purse and the other rubbing her belly, Ranma let a tiny groan escape.

"Full?" Setsuna playful asked as they made their way back home.

"Uhhh," Ranma groaned out a little louder.

"But it was good, wasn't it?" Setsuna asked as she nonchalantly put arm around Ranma's shoulders.

"Uh-huh," Ranma replied as she leaned further into Setsuna; it felt... nice.

"What are you going to do with the leftovers?" Setsuna asked as they neared the entrance of the apartment building. It was fairly late and the sidewalks were sparsely populated.

"Mmmmm, eat it," hummed the redhead, while shaking that one coil of hair from her eyes that wouldn't stay put. "I'll share though, Hotaru has got to try some of this."

"Corrupting your charge?" Setsuna playfully asked.

"Spreading the joy," Ranma said with a smile and a yawn.

"Tired?" Setsuna asked, drawing Ranma closer.

"Uh-huh," Ranma replied as they climbed the short steps to their apartment building. The wait on the elevator was a short one and both women rode it up in silence. Ranma leaned onto the wall for support; the combination of the motion of the lift and her fatigue were taking their toll on her, the two stone of rich food in her belly did not help matters either.

"Did you have fun?" Setsuna asked as she helped the slightly wobbly redhead down the hall to their apartment.

"Oh yes," Ranma smiled as she rubbed her belly again for the umpteenth time. "I never knew food could be like that." She smiled and returned her hands to holding her purse in front of her. Though the food was good... Ranma shook her head. Of course it would be good, that was the whole point. She wondered if she would eat that much again... maybe. Though next time she promised to pace herself better. That way she would avoid discomfort.

"Stick with me and I'll show you all the finer things." Setsuna winked as she unlocked the door.

Ranma sleepily nodded as Setsuna held the door open for her and she crossed the threshold. "You're too nice. I'm going to make you a great breakfast tomorrow," Ranma gave a silly grin as she managed to sit on the couch with surprising gracefulness; considering how full she felt that was no small feat. She knew her boss must have spent a, hopefully, small fortune and it was the least she could do. Besides, she liked cooking for them.

"That would be nice," Setsuna agreed as she sat down, next to the drowsy redhead. "You know, technically you didn't finish."

"Oh, it was a challenge?" Ranma asked jokingly with a contented smile. "If I'd have known that I wouldn't have stopped." Ranma patted her belly and shifted her weight. _"Definitely going to have to pace myself better,"_ she reaffirmed to herself with an internal groan.

"Glad you had a full night."

"Maybe next time we can do something with Hotaru too. Have the whole fam-" Ranma paused to peel off her gloves and corrected what she was about to say. "-household come."

"Maybe a picnic," Setsuna offered. "Before it gets too cold." She smiled thinly at Ranma's bleary expression.

"That would be nice," Ranma nodded and wobbled and slid up against the woman sitting next to her.

"Any regrets?" Setsuna asked as she patted Ranma's shoulder.

Ranma's blinked at the question before her eyes widened; she suddenly realized that she was happily stuffed and wearing a silk ball gown she had bought for herself, and had permed hair that she had decided that she liked and wanted to keep. All part of her disguise.

Was it even a disguise anymore? Sure she was a nanny, but things were going well.

Only because she was hiding? Right... she was just doing this to get control to her life.

Her life? Ranma recalled staring into the mirror before this date and coming out to Setsuna. Her life sounded about right. The maelstrom of confusing thoughts and emotions combined with looking into Setsuna's eyes had caused Ranma's brain to seize up. "Uh..."

"About the cheesecake," Setsuna clarified. "I was wondering whether or not you could eat the whole thing, but I guess it was that good."

"Oh that!" Ranma laughed nervously and then brightened. "Oh it was great. I'm sorry if I was embarrassing you. I did get a bit... loud." Ranma blushed as she leaned further into Setsuna; butterflies briefly danced in Ranma's stomach before her weariness suppressed them .

"Don't worry about it," Setsuna said in a contemplative and distant tone. Ranma was right, more of these events were an excellent idea, and there was no need to have Hotaru present for _all_ of them.

"Okay," Ranma dreamily stated as she tried to rise to her feet. A quick intervention by Setsuna prevented her from tumbling over; the extra weight she was carrying threw off her balance. "I'm sorry," Ranma blushed.

"It's fine," Setsuna reassured the sleepy girl as she escorted Ranma down the hall.

"You're the greatest," Ranma smiled sleepily before playfully kissing Setsuna on the cheek. "Thanks so much," she smiled before sliding into her room.

Setsuna stood in the hallway a brief moment before chuckling as she heard Ranma thump around. She guessed that dress would be hard to get off, and hoped that Ranma would not damage it in the process. The woman went to the living room and put the box containing the spare cheesecake in the fridge. She then straightened up the shoes next to the front door.

As she put down Ranma's blue heels, Setsuna smiled. Things were proceeding well. "_Too well,"_ Setsuna concluded after a moments evaluation. She could not let herself get distracted by patting herself on the back.. Ranma was turning out better than she could have ever hoped, and Hotaru was improving better than she had dared to hope.

Setsuna however was concerned about Ranma's supposed healing powers. _"I wonder if that ties in to Ranma's... confusion?"_ She mused seriously over that before shaking her head; there were too many unknowns running around.

Ranma's powers had to be connected... somehow, it was too much of a coincidence to be just random chance. Hotaru would not be that lucky. Tomorrow she would start working with Ranma to try and get to the bottom of it. It might even be a way Setsuna could ease Ranma into the rest of the truth.

Author's Notes:

We'd like to thank the prereaders for their help in this project: J St C Patrick, Pyro Raven, Wray, Mondu the Fat, Terra, Pale Wolf, Questara, and Jerry Starfire. They were great on working on this chapter.


	2. Chapter 2 Changing Horizons

Strained Harmony

A Ranma Sailor Moon fic thingy.

By Sunshine Temple and Trimatter

Naturally, We own neither Sailor Moon nor Ranma. So here's the disclaimer

Ranma 1/2 and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Previous chapters and other works can be found at our fanfiction websites.

Other website Temple of Ranma's Senshi Seifuku

C&C as always is wanted.

Yes, the next chapter is here. Sorry for the long wait

Chapter 2 Changing Horizons

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Ranma held a bottle of green tea in one hand and idly fingered her brooch as it dangled from its short, thin chain with the other. Even though she was not "in uniform", since it was her day off, Ranma found herself very used to wearing the brooch that Setsuna had given her as part of her uniform. It made her feel closer to her employer and by extension Hotaru; like it reminded her that she was part of something larger.

She found it comforting in ways that she never really felt before.

With her other hand, she lightly touched the tall bottle of green tea as she waited for Akane. In preparation, Ranma had another bottle waiting for her friend when she showed up. Removing her hand from her tea, Ranma unconsciously smoothed out her turquoise knee-length skirt. Though the white short-sleeved shirt was tailored for her frame and modest in cut; it still left just barely enough cleavage so that her brooch would fall nicely into place.

_"I wonder if she'll be my friend after today?" _Ranma thought worriedly._ "But I can't pretend things will ever go back to how they were; I hope she'll understand."_

Ranma could not keep her hand still, and it wandered up to her hair where she played with her lengthening curled locks. Having it in a perm kept it relatively short compared to her pigtailed days, but over the months it had grown down to the nape of her neck. Ranma stopped her brushing and settled for idly playing with her "favorite" lock of hair - the one that just wouldn't stay put - while carefully looking around again.

The food court of the mall was so packed with eaters that Ranma was glad to be able to get a table that was against the partition that surrounded the large court rather than a table out in the middle of the large room. Having her chair bumped into by passing strangers when she was trying to eat was quite vexing. As a happy coincidence, it also gave her a good vantage point to watch over the main entrance about one hundred feet away. If anything threatening came through, she'd have a chance to get away before being spotted.

She could not help but smile when a welcome face appeared, but her mood was dampened by what could happen after Akane was told.

"Ranma!" Akane called out.

"Hey Akane!" Ranma called back as a girl with just shorter hair walked up to her. "You're late, what happened?"

"Oh, my sister again," Akane replied with some venom in her voice. "She thinks it is her job to know where I'm going - and when I tell her it is none of her business she takes it upon herself to try and follow me."

Pondering only a brief moment, Ranma concluded, "She's probably figured out that you're seeing me."

Nodding in agreement, Akane mumbled under her breath some disparaging things about Nabiki. "Well, at least I lost her somewhere in Shibuya Station. Maybe she can make money off selling her own damn body instead of trying to sell other people's."

Ranma's eyebrow raised at the sheer amount of anger that Akane was exhibiting toward her sister. Something more must have happened. "What?"

Sighing, Akane settled into her seat. "She's really getting on my nerves. It's like she watches every little move I make - I caught her going through my room three times already. The last time I caught her she was trying to pry open my diary."

"Oh," Ranma said, slightly at a loss as what to say. She pushed the waiting bottle of green tea toward Akane.

"I told her to get out of my room and stay out," Akane said as she twisted the cap off the bottle. "And the next time I caught her in there, I'd do something she'd regret."

"I bet she loved that," Ranma commented as she watched Akane take a sip of tea.

"Yeah," Akane said, placing the bottle down. "But you know what really took the cake?" Ranma shook her head no. "She told my father and he got on to me about it."

Ranma stared a moment in incomprehension. "W-what?"

"That's what I thought," Akane said in agitation. "My own father had the... the gall to tell me that 'finding you was now a matter of honor'. Can you imagine that?"

Nodding slowly, Ranma just then realized how much heat Akane was taking from her absence. "Sorry...," she mumbled.

"It's not your fault," Akane said, pausing to take another sip of her tea. "Between father, Nabiki and Genma, they all feed off each other."

Silence, or what passed for silence in the noisy mall, was shared between the two.

_"Might as well start with Nabiki,"_ Ranma thought. _"Before going onto other things."_

"I reported Nabiki and our fathers," Ranma said guardedly.

Akane sat across from the redhead for a moment before nodding. "Good," Akane said with heat. She was relieved that someone finally worked up the courage to do that.

"They say it'll take a month or more before a preliminary investigation wraps up," Ranma continued as she looked out at the waves of shoppers in the mall. "I guess you can expect to be interviewed," Ranma said understating what Setsuna had planned.

"What do you think will happen?" Akane asked.

"I really don't know," Ranma admitted. "But from what I heard, they take a very dim look on this sort of thing - especially after what came out about what North Korea pulled in the seventies."

Akane nodded. Relations had been strained between the two counties for decades, but North Korea's admission of kidnapping Japanese citizens - some as young as thirteen - to help their spies fit into society better had made things worse. Nabiki, Genma and Soun conspiring to sell a Japanese citizen to someone in Hong Kong as a sex slave would be seen as just about the same thing.

During Akane's musings, Ranma was gathering herself up for the next problem: telling Akane that she would not be going back to the Tendos' after this was over with. Summoning up her courage, Ranma opened her mouth to speak when –

"Hey Ranma!"

The voice pierced the din of the crowded food court. Looking about, Ranma spied Nami as she weaved through the mass of people toward where Ranma and Akane were seated. Ranma waved the other bespectacled girl over to the seat across from her.

"Hey Nami," Ranma greeted from her chair. "Grab a seat." This would complicate things.

"Thanks," Nami said as she plopped down across from the redhead. "Man, the mall's insane today - and there aren't even any good sales going on or anything."

Akane studied the newcomer. Ranma had mentioned her new friends, but this was the first time that Akane actually met one. As if picking up Akane's thoughts, Ranma made the introductions.

"Nami, I'd like you to meet Akane," Ranma said. "She's one of my oldest friends from back when I lived in Nerima. Akane, this is Nami; she is a friend from my new school."

"Hi."

"Pleased to meet you."

Nami rested her elbows on the table top and looked between the redhead and Akane. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"Oh no, Akane and I were just talking," Ranma said with a smile that almost covered the lie. "We go way back."

"Really?" Nami asked. Though Ranma had told much about her past, she had yet to meet anyone from it, and clearly the two were not just reminiscing. "Then you must know martial arts then - everyone from Ranma's past knows martial arts," she said semi-seriously.

"I'm the heir to the Tendo School of Anything Goes," Akane replied, then added under her breath, "As if that family's anything to be proud of."

"Anything Goes? Isn't that what you told me that you practiced?" Nami asked Ranma.

"Yes, er - same school, different branch," Ranma explained. "I was the heir to the Saotome School , but it can go to hel-... never mind."

Knowing that this was a sore spot in Ranma's past and apparently Ranma's friend's as well, Nami opted to changed the subject slightly. "So, you've known Ranma a long time?" Nami asked as she made eyes between Ranma and Akane.

"Umm... about a year-? No bit more... about a year and a half now," Akane answered. She suddenly realized that she had known the curly-haired nanny almost as long as the brash fiance.

Nodding, Nami smiled mischievously and leaned toward Akane. "So tell me," she whispered to Akane, but just loud enough for Ranma to still hear, " - has Ranma always been such a tomboy?"

Blinking at the question, Akane manage to catch the humor in the other's eye before replying. "Oh yes," she answered in a low, playful voice. "Did you know when she first showed up, she didn't even know what a bra was?"

"Hey!" Ranma said in false indignation; she had caught on to the shifting mood of the table. "I didn't need one when I first showed up."

"My, you must have bloomed very quickly," Nami quipped. She had seen how much Ranma had grown in the time they had known her. Definitely a late, but big bloomer.

"Why yes," Ranma chuckled. "It was as if one day I was flat-chested and then centerfold material the next."

Akane and Nami giggled at the redhead's proud smirk. Akane arrested herself in mid-giggle. Ranma was not embarrassed or flustered at this reminder of womanhood. Ranma seemed to have gone along with the jest without any problems.

"So where's Kimiko?" Ranma asked, deciding to shift the subject further away from her past and into the present. She reached for another sip of tea. "It's not like you to go shopping by yourself."

"She's with Kenusuke," Nami said with a trace of disapproval.

"Kenusuke?" Ranma repeated, freezing in mid sip. "On man," she then sighed, putting the bottle down. "I thought we talked her out of seeing him."

"I thought so to," Nami agreed. "But that asshole called her up the other day and - wham."

"Who's Kenusuke?" Akane asked, feeling more than left out of the conversation.

"Some older guy who graduated from our school a couple years back - a real jerk," Ranma paused before continuing to explain. "He's real smarmy, you know the type: likes to see how many notches he can get on his belt."

Nami shook her head. "I care for Kimiko dearly, but I just don't understand what she sees in him."

"She thinks she's in 'love'," Ranma said with bitterness. "I swear if that little shit hurts her, I'll break him in two."

"What I don't understand is why some of the girls chase after him," Nami said plainly. "They have to see that there is something wrong with someone that old wanting them."

"I don't know - some girls are just stupid that way," Ranma snorted as she paused to take a sip. "They think it makes them more mature when an older man takes an interest in them."

"How much older is he?" Akane asked, joining in on the conversation. Akane knew what type of guy the two - girls were talking about and had built up a personal hatred for men who used girls' emotions to lure, play with and then discard them like old toys. The money the girls got from "compensated dating" was another enticement, though Kimiko's boyfriend did not sound old enough to do that. Her friend, Sayuri, was almost taken in by just that kind of man - until he was arrested for engaging in under-aged prostitution and that opened her eyes to the man he really was.

"He's a about five years older. It's more that he's a jerk." Nami answered while shaking her head.

"Why is Kimiko going with a guy like that?" Akane asked. "Doesn't she know he's a pervert?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Ranma said darkly as she sipped her tea, griping the bottle tighter than necessary. "I mean he's just using her."

Akane blinked at Ranma's choice of words and demeanor; it immediately deflated her own outrage slightly. She then took a sip of her, almost untouched tea. Ranma was obviously unhappy with Kimiko's choice and didn't even try to hide it.

"What do her parents think?" Akane asked, in a tone that was a cross between concern and being appalled. "Certainly they can't think that this is a good thing."

Nami snorted.. "They think he's a nice confident young man, and applaud Kimiko's decision to date a serious student."

"Bastard got her family, hook, line, and sinker," Ranma snorted. "This guy goes for the heart, and knows to charm the girl's family too."

"I just don't know what to do," Nami said forlornly. Ranma sighed in agreement and silence ruled the table for a moment.

"You could just castrate him," Akane suggested darkly, looking into her bottle. She really hated guys like that.

"Thought of that," Ranma said. "Especially after he tried to put the moves on me, but it would've been too messy."

"And we don't want to go to jail either," Nami pointed out in a defeated tone.

The three fell silent in contemplation.

"How about," Akane began, "you get - er, what's her name?"

"Kimiko," Ranma supplied.

"Why not get Kimiko together with one or two of this jerks ex-girlfriends?" Akane suggested. "At least she can hear first hand what this guy is like."

"That's an idea," Nami said with a blink. She thought it over a bit. "Say... that is a good idea," she said with a bit more conviction.

"I never thought of doing that," Ranma muttered more to herself than anyone else, then she looked across the table. "Akane, you're a genius."

"Er... thanks?" Akane said uncertainly. She knew how dense Ranma could be and was not surprised that she had not thought of it, but she was surprised that Nami had not either. But then again...

With that plan in mind, Nami decided to move onto the next crisis at hand. "So... you girls doing anything or you want to come help me shop?"

"Er...," Ranma stammered a bit before catching herself. "I guess... if Akane doesn't mind."

"It's fine with me," Akane said with a shrug. "I have nothing planned for the day."

"What are you shopping for?" Ranma asked.

"A dress," Nami answered with a slight frown. "A _nice_ dress as my mother calls it," she clarified. "We're going to visit my grandparents during break and my folks want me to be 'presentable'."

"Ahhh...," Ranma said in understanding.

"What's so hard about that?" Akane asked.

"Her grandparents are a bit old fashioned," Ranma said offhandedly. " They're picky from what I understand, but there's nothing wrong with dressing up to something fancy or important." She shrugged. She had dressed nicer herself on that... outing with Setsuna.

"Oh. Well I don't mind tagging along if you don't," Akane said with a noncommittal shrug.

"That would be great," Nami gushed. "The more, the merrier."

Half hour later, Nami came out of the dressing room wearing yet another fashion disaster - in a sense that it would be totally inappropriate to be seen in near her grandparents. It was a pale blue skirt with a high-cut matching shirt that exposed Nami's belly. "How about this one?" she asked.

Shaking her head, Ranma looked over her friend with a critical eye. "I don't think your grandparents would approve. You did say that their tastes leaned toward the conservative?"

"Well I don't want to dress like a dweeb," Nami complained, but knew Ranma was right. "What did you think?" She asked Akane.

"I think it is nice, but I don't know much about your grandparents," Akane ventured.

"Imagine thinking kimonos are the height of fashion," Nami said as she regarded herself in the full length mirror. She did not look too bad; she'd keep this dress in mind for next time.

"How about this one?" Ranma asked as she held up a green jumper-type of dress. Akane was taken aback slightly. Ranma had actually picked out a fairly nice looking dress, but what Ranma said next really floored her. "It would go nice with that necklace you have - you know the pearl one."

"That might work," Nami commented. "You were always better at coordinating accessories than I was."

_  
"Ranma's better at coordinating accessories?" _Akane's mind whirled. _" I knew she was starting to accept all this, but what in the world-"_

"But - I don't think so," Nami said as she studied the dress closer. "It looks too much like a school uniform."

As Nami reentered the dressing room, Akane looked over the racks of clothing and selected a fairly revealing dress - one with lots of cleavage. She wanted to test something. "Say Ranma," she began with false distraction in her voice. "This one would look good on you," she finished by holding the dress out by the hanger.

Cocking her head, Ranma evaluated the dress, then shook her head slightly. "No, it shows too much," she finally said.

Akane blinked. Then blinked again. "You used to not mind wearing stuff like this," she said carefully as she rehung the dress.

Shrugging as she paged through the rack in front of her, Ranma replied plainly. "That was before I preferred guys to look me in the eye when they were talking to me and not my chest."

"Ranma's a real stick in the mud when it comes to what to wear," Nami called out from behind the curtain of the dressing room. "She doesn't want to give the kid she's nannying any bad impressions."

"Really?" Akane said while raising an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah," Ranma replied as she leaned against the rack she was just looking through. "I can't let Hotaru think that it is okay to dress like a... a..."

"Hussy," Nami finished for Ranma as she exited the dressing room wearing the clothes she had had on. "At least that's what you've always said."

Cheeks flushing a bit, Ranma meekly let a "right" escape her lips.

"Find anything else?" Nami asked tiredly. Shopping wasn't as much fun when you had to shop to please other people.

"Nope," Ranma replied.

Later on Akane simply shook her head. After four clothing stores, Akane was confused, Nami still had to buy a single garment but more than Nami's pickiness, or more likely, her grandparents' pickiness was Ranma's very casual behavior in the stores. At the last shop, all three girls even perused through the lingerie and Ranma was looking for bras. Akane mentally kicked herself for being amazed at that. Ranma had been living as a girl for months; she had to know by now how underwear worked.

Akane felt as if she were shopping with her own girlfriends than... well, with Ranma.

_"Had he really changed? It makes sense for Ranma to be like this after this long, but so conservatively dressed..."_ Akane mentally added

Sighing tiredly, she decided to find out more about Ranma's friend.

"So, you two are in the same class?" Akane asked as they made their way to a fifth shop.

"Yes. Ranma was really shy when I first met her. You know how she was raised, right?" Nami asked. To be honest Ranma was still fairly shy but she was making great progress.

Akane nodded hesitantly; she was unsure of exactly what Ranma had told Nami.

"I can't imagine living like she did," Nami continued.

"It wasn't that bad," Ranma commented.

"Would you go back to that kind of life?" Nami asked.

"No way," Ranma replied without thought. "I like where I'm at right now."

Feeling a pang, Akane controlled her first instinct to ask Ranma outright for clarification. She felt that something fundamental had changed over the months... something real and irrevocable, but it was clear that Ranma felt it too. Akane made a mental note to ask Ranma about it when they were alone.

It was sometime later and the three girls were sitting on a bench, all feeling slightly depressed. Ranma was on one end, cleaning her glasses, Nami was rubbing her head, trying to stave off a impending headache and Akane was removing her shoes to relieve her sore feet. After spending the majority of the afternoon going from one shop to another in what was now looking like a useless attempt at pleasing someone else's tastes, they were all a bit at the end of their rope.

"You know," Nami said tiredly, "I think I'll buy the most daring outfit I can find and just shock the hell out of my grandparents."

"And catch hell from your folks," Ranma pointed out, her mood just as tired as Nami's.

"Are they really that picky?" Akane asked for the tenth time since they started shopping as she rubbed her foot.

"Yes," Nami replied dryly. "They still wear yukatas and kimonos and all that old fashion stuff."

"Well then, why not show up wearing a kimono," Akane said tiredly, slipping back into her shoes. "They can't complain if you dress like they do."

Nami and Ranma stared at Akane with the same stupefied expression on their faces.

"What?" Akane asked, looking back as the other two.

"Why didn't we think about that before?" lamented Nami. "It's so obvious! Akane once again you are a genius!" She finished by leaning over and hugging Akane tightly.

"Aren't kimonos kind of expensive?" Ranma asked.

"There's bound to be something affordable," Nami said. "If not, then I can rent one for a week."

"I think there is a place near the mall that had some on display," Ranma pointed out. " The White Crane, I think it was called. I saw it on the far side of a plaza on way over here."

"I've heard of that place," Akane piped in - then paused with a cock of her head; she tried to recall from who she had heard the name of the store from.

"Sounds good to me," Nami said, her voice reflecting her raising spirits. "Let's check it out."

The crowds thickened as the trio approached the White Crane forcing the girls to walk single file as they threaded their way. Ranma was leading the way, followed by Nami with Akane bringing up the rear. As they neared the store itself the crowd slackened to a point where they could walk side by side.

"I thought it was around here," Ranma said as she looked around the plaza. She could have sworn it was around there somewhere.

"It's okay," Nami assured. "We'll go somewhere else."

"Akane!" a feminine voice called out.

The three girls turned as one to face a smiling, older woman bustling toward to them. She was taller, by a whole head, than Ranma, her auburn hair was done up in a tight bun and she moved with grace despite her hurry. She wore a nicely tailored kimono that had a simple, yet pleasing pattern on it.

Nami looked at the newcomer with curious eyes.

Akane internally groaned as she recalled who she had heard the name of the store from.

Ranma's heart sank as Nodoka Saotome glided up to them. She almost missed that Nodoka was sword-less but filed that away for later.

"It is you Akane," Nodoka said. "What a pleasant surprise."

"Um... why hello Mrs. Sao- I mean Aunty" Akane greeted the older woman. "I didn't expect to see you today," she tagged on lamely.

"It wouldn't be a surprise if you did," Nodoka quipped in an amused tone. "And who do we have here?" She asked as she turned her attention to the two girls accompanying Akane.

"Umm... oh! Aunty Sa-er, Nodoka, I'd like you to meet... Nami." Akane said as she introduced her new acquaintance, "and this is..." Akane froze. _"How am I going to introduce Ranma? She thought wildly. She'll figure out that she's 'Ranko' and with Nami here-"_

Akane's frantic thoughts were cut off as Ranma spoke. "Why Aunty, I'm surprised that you don't recognize me," she said coquettishly as her eyes twinkled mischievously

The older woman cocked her head and studied the redhead. "We've met?"

Removing her glasses, Ranma smiled up at her 'Aunty'. "I'm Ranko," she said simply. She was amazed, but heartened. Changing her appearance so that no one could recognize her had been one of her goals.

"Ranko?" Nami mumbled in confusion as she watched the exchange.

Nodoka's eyes narrowed slightly as she further studied the girl. After a short moment her eyes widen and her mouth hung open in surprise. "Ranko! It is you!" She exclaimed loudly after quickly getting over her shock. "Look at you! My, you've grown so much since I last saw you."

"Thank you Aunty," Ranma said brightly, but it seemed slightly forced to Nami.

"You are really growing into quite a young woman," Nodoka continued as she studied 'Ranko's' body's proportions. Gone was the thin, but busty country girl that she remembered and in her place was a young girl preparing to bloom into full womanhood. It was good to see Ranko finally grow a bit taller and get some meat on her bones. "I bet the boys are beating down your door trying to date you."

Er... yeah," Ranma half muttered, looking uncomfortable, but to Nodoka's eyes 'Ranko' just looked slightly embarrassed by the compliment, which was just as true too.

"And I must say how lovely you are dressed. It's about time you started dressing properly. Turn around, turn around - I want to see what you're wearing."

Ranma obeyed her 'Aunty' and spun slowly on one foot to give the appraising woman a better look at her outfit. Akane couldn't help but notice that there was no forced girlishness in Ranma's movements; it was all as natural as if Ranma was doing a kata.

"It's so good to see that you're dressing appropriately instead of like a boy," Nodoka commented as Ranma modeled her clothes. The jewelry was very nice too, especially her necklace. Nodoka made a note to get a closer look later if possible. "And so tasteful to. Did your cousin help you pick it?"

Akane sputtered at that.

"Umm... no, er... but my friend Nami did though," Ranma stammered while motioning to her friend.

"Well it's good to know that you have someone to help you with these things," Nodoka said, nodding at Nami before continuing with Ranma. "I recall you being quite ignorant of proper attire."

"Er... thanks - I think," Ranma said in a half laugh to cover her discomfort.

"Oh Ranko it's so good to see you like this - you're so grown up and you do look so lovely," Nodoka beamed as she clasped her hands together in glee and smiled wider in a very approving way. "It's so feminine - unlike your past choices."

"Why thank you Aunty," Ranma gushed, honestly feeling happy about her mother's approval. She liked her look too, it was nice to have people look at her face instead of her body, and it helped with Hotaru. "It is much more comfortable than what I used to wear."

Though Ranma was happy to see her mother, she was also nervous enough to play with the stray lock of hair. This caused Nodoka's attention to be drawn to another radical change in her 'niece'.

"And.. Oh! Oh! Your hair! Oh, it's so beautiful," Nodoka exclaimed as she stepped up and ran her fingers through Ranma's hair. Ranma tensed and just as quickly relaxed in the comfortable sensation of having her hair brushed. "I'm so happy that you decided to get rid of that pigtail, it just didn't do you justice."

"Thanks Aunty." Ranma found herself smiling. It took her a while to get used to her new hair, but it had really started to grow on her. Her smile faltered only for a split-second as an empty feeling touched her; she quickly dismissed it and focused on her mother.

"Oh Ranko, I'm so happy to see that you are finally growing out of your tomboy phase," Nodoka continued while drawing the shorter girl into a heartfelt hug. "It's good that you are finally starting to behave more feminine. Pretty soon I think your cousin will have to take lessons from you."

Akane snorted as she barely manage to suppress a giggle. It was clear that she was still the tomboy here.

"So what are you doing here? You girls looked lost," Nodoka asked.

"Cousin?" Nami asked. All during the exchange, she had been getting more and more confused. Now she was thoroughly confused. What was with Ranma being called Ranko? And why did Ranma not mention having any cousins?

"Why yes, Akane and Ranko are cousins," Nodoka explained, keeping an arm around her "niece". "Didn't you know?"

"Er... Nami is a friend of mine that Akane just met today," Ranma said hurriedly. "We're helping her shop for something to meet her grandparents in and since they're real traditional-like we thought kimonos and that's why we're here to look but I couldn't find it and-"

"Slow down dear," Nodoka gently admonished, silencing the babbling redhead. After a moment of silence, Nodoka turned her attention to Nami. "I understand that you are looking for a kimono?" she asked clearly amused.

"Um, yes ma'am," Nami replied as she focused on the taller redhead. Nami could tell that there was some sort of family resemblance going on - and it wasn't between Ranma and her cousin. "But something that is comfortable."

"You're in luck. I know the exact shop you're thinking about," Nodoka laughed. "In fact I'm going there myself," she said giving the obi to her own kimono a gentle tug. "Do you mind if I show you where it is?"

"Why yes, that would be lovely," Nami said with a bow. Sensing that something more - something big - was going on, it was all that Nami could do to not start asking questions right there. She did however, decide to ask Ranma about it once they were alone.

Nodoka took them down one end of the plaza and around a corner through a gateway to another small plaza and to a specific store in one quiet corner. The White Crane was a surprisingly narrow store, but looking through the window it seemed to stretch back quite a ways. The front was all glass with various kimonos and other less formal traditional wear on display.

Once inside, Nodoka waved the sole proprietor over to them. The woman was old - and her appearance almost freaked Ranma out because on first glance she was reminded of Cologne. It was only when the elderly woman stepped up closer that it was clear that she was merely an elderly woman, and nothing like the Amazon mummy.

"Nodoka," the woman bowed and greeted in a surprisingly clear voice. "What a pleasant surprise. Let me put some tea on."

"That's quite all right," Nodoka said brightly. "I actually ran into some young women who might be interested in your wares." Nodoka smiled. "Aunty Suzuki, this is Akane Tendo and her cousin Ranko," Nodoka introduced the girls cheerfully. "And this is Nami... I'm sorry I didn't get your last name?"

"Oh, I'm sorry Aunty," Akane piped up. "I didn't think to ask."

"That's quite all right, Dear," Nodoka said smoothly as she turned her attention back to the proprietor.

"Aunty Suzuki?" Ranma asked. She had more family she wasn't aware of?

"Yes," Nodoka smiled. "Girls, this is Etsuko Suzuki. She's known me since I was young. She's been like a mother to me," her smile became melancholy in remembrance.

"Yes," Etsuko nodded as she studied the younger redhead. "You know, you remind me of her when she was your age," she said appraisingly of Ranma. Etsuko looked thoughtful. "Say, you're not related to Nodoka, are you? You look a bit like her when she was younger," she shot a playful glance at the taller redhead. "Have you been seeing someone on the side No-chan?"

"Now Aunty..." Nodoka flustered.

"Oh let an old woman have her fun," Etsuko laughed while Ranma shuddered in fright.

"Of course you're far too feminine, Ranko. No-chan was quite the tomboy in her day, always poking around in attics and cellars. She always made a mess of her clothes." Etsuko explained.

Ranma blinked. "Uh, imagine that."

"Anyway, Aunty," Nodoka said, clearly embarrassed. "Nami here needs some affordable traditional garments that are comfortable. I understand that she's visiting her grandparents soon."

"Well she came to the right place," the old woman cackled out in a way that just raised the hairs on the back of the younger girls' heads. "Come this way," Etsuko continued as she extended an inviting arm. "I'll size you and see what we have."

The measuring of Nami went quickly and painlessly and in no time Etsuko had shown her customers the section of the shop that held the proper sized kimonos. Since Nami was about average height for her age, that meant that she had a wide selection to choose from.

"This one looks nice... I guess," Nami said uncertain at what she was looking at. The garment was a bright blue with little decoration.

"I don't think you would be comfortable in that one," Nodoka pointed out. "It is rather heavy and would be difficult to get in or out of unaided." Nodoka could sympathize; she enjoyed Kimonos but also enjoyed not wearing them. Visits to the Tendos and Aunty Etsuko were different, however.

"Oh," Nami said then paused. "But it looks simple enough."

"That's because you are looking at the outer wrap," Nodoka explained. "There are other pieces that are worn underneath along with the obi that ties the whole thing together."

"Oh," Nami said dumbly. "This is looking like another dead end."

Etsuko padded up to Nami with an outfit held in both hands. "Try this on and see if you like it."

"What's this?" Nami asked as she took the offered garment. It was long and flowing in a reddish color.

"It's a yukata," Etsuko replied. "It is just as nice as a kimono, but not as difficult to wear and much more light weight."

"Umm...," Nami hesitated.

"Go on," Ranma urged. "Let's see how you look in it."

"Oh, all right. I mean, I came out to buy a outfit for my grandparents...," Nami said as she started to move to the back of the store where a beckoning Estuko and the changing rooms waited. "But you don't go anywhere Ranma, you're stuck with me to the end."

"I won't," Ranma said as she smiled and waved.

"I hope that does it for her," Akane commented wearily. "I never thought shopping could be such a chore."

Nami hesitated, smirked evilly and grabbed Ranma's arm "Oh no, you are are coming too."

"I'm not planning on getting anything... I don't want to waste Mrs. Suzuki's time."

"Please call me Aunty Etsuko, dear," the store owner said warmly. "And it's no problem for me if a lovely girl wants to try on something."

Defeated, Ranma sighed, there was only one thing to do: spread the pain. "But we can't leave Akane out."

Akane glared at the redhead.

Etsuko laughed at the three girls' antics and led them to the back changing room. Once there, Ranma shrugged as she took the whole thing in stride and unbuttoned her top. Akane held her tongue as she looked at the redhead's chest. Her eyes darted at the other women as if to gauge their reactions; more importantly, she was gaging Ranma's reaction - or lack of. Ranma was behaving as if being in a woman's changing room was perfectly normal.

"I think you're gonna need another bra," Nami laughed as she looked over at Ranma.

"Again?" Ranma pouted as she examined her chest; unasked, the elderly woman ran a tape measure over her quickly and professionally.

"Yes Dear," Etsuko noted after comparing her actual measurement against the tag on Ranma's bra. "My, you really should have proper support."

"I thought they were starting to fit bad," Ranma sighed. She liked that bra, she only bought that bra a month ago.

From inside the changing stall Nami laughed. "Oh it's not that bad, some girls would kill to have a body like yours."

"I'll be right back," Etsuko said as she ran out of the changing room and to another part of the store.

"Why aren't you taking off your shirt?" Nodoka asked Akane.

"Uh... Aunty Etsuko's not here..." Akane blushed.

"Oh don't mind me," the owner said seeming to appear in the changing alcove. She handed a lacy white bra to Ranma, and turned her attention to Akane.

Ranma looked at the bra and sighed. At least the price was reasonable. She slipped out of her old one and changed into the new bra. She automatically adjusted the straps and shook in just the right way to settle her breasts properly in the cups. The new bra was a definite improvement over the old one.

"Miss Tendo?" Etsuko asked as she attempted to get Akane's attention away from the changing redhead.

"Sorry!" Akane's face reddened again and she fumbled with her shirt. _"What does it matter that Ranma's here. I just saw her take her bra off." _Akane reassured herself as she finally got the shirt off. _"And wearing a bra is about as revealing as wearing a swimsuit."_

As Etsuko made her measurements she mumbled to herself. "I think I have something nice for you two," she said looking Akane and Ranma over. She then walked out of the alcove.

"Ranko, why did your friend call you by my son's name?" Nodoka asked in a low tone, once Etsuko had left. Her eyes were filled with a mixture of curiosity and hope. "And where have you been these all these months? I heard that you were on a training trip with my son, then that you went back home to the country."

"Ummm...," Ranma began - only to stop. _"Awwww crap," _was the only coherent thought that passed through her mind, as panic encroached. She looked around the alcove but short of diving into a changing booth there was no escape.

"Aunty, can you keep a secret?" Akane stepped in, distracting Nodoka from the floundering Ranma while trying to come up with a plausible explanation herself.

"Why certainly," Nodoka replied, looking between the two girls. She could tell that there was something going on. "What ever is the matter?" she asked with deliberate vapidness.

"Er... Ran..ko is hiding," Akane ventured, hesitantly. "She's had a falling out of sorts and she's... ummm... ummmm..."

Ranma smiled. Akane could be quite devious. "I'm using Ranma's name to hide, yeah," Ranma interjected. She then smiled darkly. "I don't want to be found because of Nabiki."

"Yes, my sister ... she's trying to... ," Akane paused to gather her thoughts. "Well, Aunty I don't want to say what my sister Nabiki has been trying to do to poor Ranko here."

Ranma smiled thinly at Akane's cleverness, she was telling the truth too. "Yeah, that's it," Ranma said. "Nabiki has been trying to do stuff that's... would dishonor me. So I left with Akane and Ranma's help and I'm hiding out until the police get through with their investigation." Ranma was pleased that she had avoided lying to her mother, or at least avoided any new lies.

Inside her booth, Nami concentrated on her reflection. The yukata was quite nice, but that conversation was engrossing. It was a lot like what Ranma had told her but with a few new wrinkles. She remarked on the amazing and unbelievable coincidence given Ranma's engagement to a guy and Akane's engagement to a guy named Ranma. They had seemed to have forgotten her and she dared not remind them of her presence.

Nodoka raised an eyebrow skeptically. It was really quite shocking. "I can't believe that Nabiki would do anything that serious to her own flesh and blood," she said looking aghast. "But it's not like you would run away without reason. What about Mr. Tendo? This implies he was unable to help."

"Aunty, please," Akane interrupted, almost pleadingly. "Don't say anything to my father or my sisters. If they found out where Ranm- er, Ranko is, it'll be bad for her."

"Are you serious?" Nodoka asked disbelievingly. She was skeptical, but the apparent fear in both girls' eyes spoke volumes.

"Yes, mo-er, Aunty," Ranma said firmly while covering her slip. "It is serious. If you say anything it would interfere with the police investigation. I know Nabiki is family, but the law must do their job unhindered."

Nodoka raised and eyebrow at the second mention of police and then nodded. "Very well, but I want you to know that if there is anything that I can do, I'll help you. Do you have a place to stay? And what are you doing for money?"

"Thank you for the offer," Ranma bowed. It was nice that her mother at least cared for Ranko. "I have a job - for several months now... I'm a nanny to a girl," Ranma replied. "I have room and board and even a bit of an allowance." She looked out to the rest of the shop and wondered what had happened to Etsuko.

"I see," Nodoka said and she cocked her head at Ranma. She then smiled. "A nanny you say? You must have matured a great deal to take on such responsibility at your age - but you do seem much more womanly now."

"Yes, I'm starting to understand what it's like to be more than a girl, to be a woman," Ranma plainly said as Akane covered her mouth to keep from openly laughing.

"So tell me about this child you're a nan-"

"Ta-dah!" Announced Etsuko's return. "Please try them on," she said handing two garments one to each girl.

Ranma and Akane took the offered garments. Akane was just about to enter the remaining empty booth when Nami quickly exited hers to let Ranma in.

Ranma, Akane and Nodoka looked to see Nami in a very nice summer yukata. The reddish color was enhanced by the sakura pattern that seemed to flow from the left shoulder to the side where the right leg was.

"Wow," Ranma commented. "You look great."

"Yeah..." Akane muttered, still holding the door.

"You look marvelous," Nodoka chimed in with a smile. "How does it feel?"

"Great," Nami replied merrily as she checked herself out in a full length mirror. "It doesn't feel heavy or restrictive at all."

"You two should try yours then," Etsuko gently prodded.

Ranma nodded and slipped into her booth, while Akane went into hers.

"I think your family will be quite pleased," Nodoka commented to Nami.

"Really? That's good," Nami beamed. "I'm amazed at how fast you picked this out, thank you," she said, bowing to Etsuko.

"It's my pleasure," Etsuko said.

Ranma stepped out of the stall with a beaming smile; the yukata was elegantly draped over her form and was tied to fit perfectly.

"Oh my," Nodoka said as she looked over Ranma in that turquoise yukata; the wave pattern on it was beautiful and almost hypnotic to look at.

"Yeah, that's just wow," Nami said with a tinge of jealousy.

"You look great too," Ranma assured her as she pushed her glasses back up her nose. "Aunty, you're spooky," Ranma complimented Etsuko as she looked at another mirror and idly fluffed her curls.

"I try my best," Etsuko remarked. "You've worn this stuff before haven't you?"

"Sure, for festivals and stuff." Ranma's shrug was interrupted by Akane exiting her booth.

Akane proudly showed off a green yukata with a nice dragon weave.

"We'll make a proper lady out of you yet," Ranma teased.

"This feels great," Akane said running a finger over the material.

"You almost got it," Etsuko said as she discretely adjusted Akane's obi.

"Thanks," Akane looked at Ranma's and Nami's clothes and smirked slightly when her gaze returned to her reflection. Theirs were nice, but for once she was dressed just as good as Ranma.

"Now is this what you want?" Etsuko asked Nami.

"Well, yes..." Nami said.

Etsuko nodded and led Nami back to the counter near the entrance.

"I hope Nami can afford this," Akane said fingering her own clothes.

"Her parents gave her some money to buy something like this," Ranma assured.

"I suppose I can fill that role for you two," Nodoka offered with a little smile.

"Really Aunty, you don't have to," the dark blue haired girl said. She did not know how much Nodoka would have to spend and there was not price tag on the garment, but Akane knew it had to be too much.

"This is really overly generous," Ranma piped up. Part of her was irritated but she reminded herself that her mother was trying to be nice. "I mean, it's generous and all," she continued as she fingered her new yukata. "But it would be a bit much."

"Oh, I assure you it is all right," the older woman said merrily. "It's been so long since I've had the opportunity to shop for someone other than myself, I couldn't help myself."

"Are you sure this won't be a burden to you?" Ranma curiously asked. If her mother had resources like this why did she act so... The redhead paused, her mother never acted poor when she visited the Tendos. It was more that money was never an issue on her mind.

"Of course not," Nodoka assured. "Now I won't accept no for an answer."

It was inevitable. Soon enough a kimono attired woman was followed out the door by three yukata clad teenage girls. Each girl was carrying bags that held the clothes that they were wearing when they entered the shop. On their feet were the shoes they had worn in, since they politely declined to wear the offered getas.

"Now, no more funny business about the bills," Nodoka admonished cheerfully.

Yes, ma'am," the girls chimed, knowing it was useless to argue.

"I just think it's suspicious mine was on sale," Nami added.

"Nonsense, Aunty Etsuko depends on repeat business and word of mouth advertising." Nodoka explained.

"Makes sense, high scale places work like that," Ranma shrugged. That was what the store she had bought her blue gown in was like.

"Do you think your parents will approve of your purchase?" Nodoka asked Nami who was following slightly behind Ranma and Akane.

"Oh I think they'll be very surprised," Nami smiled as she seemed to glide along in her new outfit. "They would never expect me to buy anything this... this nice. Thank you so much for your advice."

"You're quite welcome. I don't know about you girls, but I could use a refresher," Nodoka said off handedly. "How about we stop for something to eat before we... depart our separate ways?"

"Sounds good to me," Akane replied. "But we're buying."

"I couldn't ask you-"

"Too bad," Ranma said with a playful exaggerated firmness. She smiled wickedly; she knew just the place.

Nodoka resisted the urge to tell "Ranko" how cute she looked with her lower lip sticking out like that.

"You bought us new outfits, so it's our turn to treat you to something," Ranma countered enjoying being proactive against her mother for once.

"I'll chip in for that," Nami piped in. "You were really helpful back there, and I'm sure you know a good place around here. You always do. "

"No, this is my treat. I want to do something nice for my friends," Ranma assured.

Nodoka glanced at the unwavering looks of determination that the three girls wore. "All right," she relented. "As long as you girls promise not to go overboard."

Ranma smiled mischievously. She would show her mother a thing or two. The redhead lead the quartet down a block and over to what looked to be an unassuming restaurant.

"Green Mountain?" Akane said reading the name.

"It's a nice place. Traditional food," Ranma shrugged as she opened the door for the others. Setsuna had taken her to this place for lunch more than a few times before and it was close and seemed appropriate for today.

"Welcome to Green Mountain, do you have a reservation ?" The hostess in a kimono warmly greeted them after bowing. The restaurant was warm and inviting with plenty of warm woodwork and soft lights.

"Hi Keiko-san," Ranma bowed in response, and then removed her shoes.

Keiko's smile broadened when she recognized the redhead. "Oh hello Miss Ranma-chan. No Miss Meiou or Hotaru-chan today?"

"No, I'm with some friends," Ranma smiled. "I'm sorry I don't have a-"

"Nonsense." Keiko waved her off adding a warm smile for affect. "We would never be rude and turn you and your friends away. "

Nodoka nodded. A woman who could afford a full time nanny had to be well off.

"I wouldn't want to impose," Ranma demurred.

"No, we've got an opening," Keiko assured as she made a mark on the appointment book. Miss Meiou was a frequent customer, not just with personal lunches, but business meals and events. She then gathered a set of menus and escorted the four girls to a secluded corner of the restaurant. Soft sunlight filtered down from windows high up on the wall. "I must compliment your clothing, such lovely patterns," Keiko said as she led them. _"Miss Ranma-chan always had such a wonderful fashion sense," _she thought.

"Thank you, Keiko, Aunty Nodoka bought us these at the White Crane."

"Such nice decor," Nodoka complimented as they passed some paintings and statuary.

"Oh, so you shop there?" Keiko's eyes brightened. "Suzuki-san supplies our uniforms as well."

Akane blinked as she looked about the interior of the restaurant. The fit and finish just screamed wealth and money; the layout of the largish dining area was divided into small semicircular booths with partitions that provided guests a certain amount of privacy for business or other dealings. She knew Ranma was being paid for her work, but never connected it to an actual surplus of money for the redhead; her job did come with room and board after all. Pausing to consider that more, Akane realized it was not just money, but influence - no one just gets into a place like this without a reservation - and they had just walked in.

The four sat down and after a brief consultation with the menus gave their orders to Keiko who rushed off and quickly returned with some appetizers and tea.

"Isn't it odd for the hostess to take orders?" Nami asked.

"She always takes the first order for us," Ranma assured. "We'll get a proper waitress shortly." She was sitting across from Nodoka, flanked by Akane and Nami. They each had cups of tea and were enjoying a plate that contained spring rolls.

"So Ran-" Nodoka paused in though, before continuing. "Ranma, tell me about this child that you are a nanny to," Nodoka asked as she set her cup on its saucer. She had decided to go along with 'Ranko's alias and address the redhead in her son's name.

"Well...," Ranma thought a moment. "Her name's Hotaru; she's thirteen, sweet, smart and has developed a love of martial arts that rivals mine."

"You're still into martial arts?" Nodoka asked. It appeared that Ranko had not shed all of her tomboyness.

"Oh yes, it's how I keep my figure," Ranma answered with a smile. "But I'm using it to help strengthen Hotaru: we practice several times a week over at Prince Arisugawa Park when the weather is nice. When I first started as her nanny she was pretty weak - I mean she couldn't really do anything that was psychically active for any length of time. But with exercise and diet she has gotten a whole lot stronger."

"It sounds like a lot of responsibility," Nodoka said as she mentally filed the name of the park away. "I hope it's not more than you can handle."

"Oh believe me, Ranma can handle it," Nami piped in. "Even her boss, Miss Meiou, says she's over dedicated."

"I'm handling it just fine," Ranma said, slightly annoyed. It was a good thing Nodoka's tone was not judgmental.

"Really?" Nodoka asked. She was intrigued by this Miss Meiou.

"Yes," Nami replied while taking a bite of food. "Ranma behaves more like Hotaru's mother than anything."

"Really now?" Nodoka said with a cock of the eyebrow. She could tell how much Ranko loved her job and her charge. She was proud of the progress she had made from that skinny, lonely country girl, and was sorry to have missed out on it.

"Hello, I'm Shiori," a woman in a simpler kimono in the same style as Keiko's greeted as she stepped up to them with a bow. "Are you ready to place your orders?"

Akane froze as she watched Ranma shift topics and discuss lunch specials with the waitress. Ranma's familiarity with the restaurant was displayed by the smooth way that Ranma navigated through the choices and selections. The only thing that kept the scene from being too surreal was the quantities that the redhead was ordering.

"Do you want anything?" Ranma gently asked Akane.

The Tendo coughed and looked down the menu. The selections were recognizable, but there were no prices to be found for anything anywhere on the menu, which she found quite worrying. "Umm..."

"Don't worry, I have it covered," Ranma assured.

Nodoka smirked as Akane stammered out an order with Ranko's guidance. It was good that Akane and Ranko were still close. Once the waitress bowed and left with their orders Nodoka looked back to the redhead. "So it's rewarding being a nanny? That's a very womanly job."

"Er... well, yeah," Ranma fumbled out. "I mean, she doesn't really have much in the way of family and I sort of... well... you know... fit in... if you know what I mean."

Akane stared at Ranma with a odd look before a contemplative expression crossed her face.

"It still sounds like a lot of responsibility for someone as young as you," Nodoka said.

"Though I am glad that it seems to have brought out the maternal side of you... Ranma."

Ranma smiled thinly at her mother's approval and the fact that she was calling her Ranma, though she was unsure about the maternal comment. She then had to fight off the frown as a wave of frustration swept over her; she was prepared to tell Akane that she was breaking with her old life for good before getting sidetracked by shopping... and now this.

She fleetingly considered for a moment in how Nodoka would react if she learned the truth - but those musings did not get too far because there were too many unknowns about the woman. The insult of the one person that she should know better than anyone, being a complete stranger to her sparked a small flame of anger. During her contemplations she absently played with her favorite lock of hair, twirling it about her fingers.

Nodoka gazed at the younger redhead and resumed studying the piece of jewelry that was hanging from a thin, gold chain that was framed by the "v" formed by the crossing over of the left and right sides of the yukata. It was a flat and oval shaped opal set in a simple gold band. There was the hint of a dragon that snaked from the band and intruded over the stone. The opal was quite odd since it was semitransparent and light seemed to dance within it.

"That's a very interesting brooch you have there," Nodoka commented. "Did a boy give that to you?"

"Oh no - I mean, my employer lets me wear it. It sort of a family moniker or something," Ranma explained, her growing ire derailed momentarily. "From what I understand, the employees of the Meioh family have worn this for generations."

"May I see it? It is very interesting," Nodoka asked as she leaned forward to get a better view.

Ranma reached up to unclasp the brooch from it's chain - and hesitated, showing reluctance to let it go. After a bit of fumbling, Ranma carefully handed the brooch to her mother's outstretched hand.

Nodoka studied the brooch in hand carefully, holding it up to the sunlight to get a better look. The sunlight filtered through the semi-translucent opal-like stone and the refraction of the light was fascinating. Drawing the brooch closer to her face, Nodoka took a small magnifying glass from her obi and examined the brooch closer.

"This is really interesting," Nodoka said slowly as she turned the brooch this way and that, looking at it from as many sides as possible. She took her time in examining the backside where the pin and clasp were joined to the rest of the jewelry. "There's a makers mark," she finally said, "but I don't recognize it."

"How old is it?" Nami asked curiously while leaning forward herself for a better look. She always liked Ranma's brooch.

"I'm not sure," Nodoka replied as she replaced the magnifying glass back from where she got it and handing the brooch back to Ranma.. "It is old, that's about all I can tell, and the workmanship is exquisite, but I can't quite place the style - it seems to be a combination of different eras. At first I thought it might have been an old piece that had been reworked over the years... but then the finish would be rougher. You say your employer gave it to you?"

"Yes Aunty," Ranma replied as she quickly reattached the brooch to the chain. "It's really part of my uniform, but I enjoy wearing it."

"Do you think you can find out anything about it for me? It is very unique and I'm always looking to expand my knowledge," Nodoka said as she munched on another spring roll.

"I could ask," Ranma replied with a slight shrug. She wondered why her mother cared so much about it; it was just a piece of jewelry. "She might know something."

"You know a lot about jewelry?" Akane asked Nodoka.

"When I was young, I was surrounded by heirlooms of my family - some dating back hundreds of years, and I developed an eye for antiques," Nodoka explained. "I appraise items for a fee - that helped me make a living since my husband and son left on their training trip."

Shiori eased in and presented their meals. Akane blinked at the food presented before her and looked to the other girls who were unsurprised and had already started eating. Shiori smiled and with a bow left them as quietly as she had arrived.

Akane looked around at the peaceful atmosphere. She turned to Ranma who, even though she was eating delicately, seemed to enjoy her food a bit too much.

"Training trip?" Nami commented in between sips of her seafood soup. It was amazing how fresh the fish was in it and the completing flavors were exquisite. She noted no mention of a daughter. It was... confusing. Ranma went on a training trip with her father too, but there was no... male Ranma mentioned.

Nodoka looked up from the rice dish and smiled. "Oh yes, over ten years ago my husband left and took our son to make him the best martial artist and a man among men," she said with an attempt at pride.

"Ten... years...?" Nami drawled out. "You haven't seen your son in ten years?"

"Yes... but I've been close though," Nodoka's voice switched from pride to sounding down before brightening again. "But I'm sure that he is a manly man - why, Akane here is his fiancee."

Akane looked down and wondered if she should tell Nodoka that the engagement was moved to Nabiki. Deciding that things were starting to get uncomfortable as is, she elected to not to admit that fact.

Silently enjoying her food, Ranma sat and watched the emotions, from pride, happiness to sadness, play across her mother's face, while thinking her own thoughts. What was the measure of a mother? The dim, distant, and diluted memories that she had of the woman in front of her did not help. She felt as if a stranger had asserted herself into her life - the anger from earlier began a slow burn.

Nami turned to Akane. She knew she should not pry into this, but she was curious. "So, you're engaged right?"

"Er... yeah," Akane replied awkwardly after a pause. She felt that she was still engaged to Ranma; after all, Nabiki had taken the engagement before.

"What's he like?" Nami asked, very interested in the subject of romance.

Another pause followed. "He's... strong," Akane worked out.

"Is he handsome?"

"Umm... yeah...," Akane replied uncomfortably. Once again, she felt as if she were under a microscope like when Nodoka first showed up.

"I'm sure you two will be happy together," Nodoka chimed in, pride reemerging in her voice. She hoped that her son's involvement in the problems surrounding Ranko was honorable. Ranko did seem to show gratitude for his help. "Don't you agree Ra-Ranma?"

Swallowing hard, Ranma fought her growing anger and managed to control it. She would not let her mother's delusions ruin a good meal. She gritted her teeth and replied weakly, "Oh yeah... very... happy."

Akane coughed, drawing attention away from the distraught redhead. "I haven't seen him in months though," she said. "He went on a... training trip and he hasn't returned yet."

"Oh? They're still gone?" Nodoka asked. "I thought that was...," her voice trailed off as she looked between Ranma and Akane.

"Yes... er, that is after that, he and his father went on a real one," Akane confirmed then adding rather quickly, "I'm sure that they are fine."

"Well that's good, I remember how much fun my husband had on his training trips. It's nice that he's taking our son on so many." Nodoka smiled in fond memory at, she thought, her future daughter in law.

"Yeah... fine," Ranma mumbled under her breath as her insides raged.

"Well anyway, I'm sure to be reunited with him before too long," Nodoka said in a cheery way. "But for now, I'm contented knowing that he is in good hands."

The table fell silent for a heartbeat.

"How do you know?" Ranma asked suddenly and irritably. She felt that she could not let things slide, not if she wanted to keep from exploding in anger... or was it resentment?

"Whatever do you mean?" Nodoka asked, surprised by the question and the tone that it was asked in.

"How do you know?" Ranma repeated in near the same tone, as she put her chopsticks down. "You haven't seen your son or husband - in ten years. Your... child could be sickly, or crippled, or something worse and you wouldn't even know it."

"I'm sure he is fine," Nodoka affirmed and guessed at what she thought was "Ranko's" concern. "I know you must be worried about him since you haven't heard from him in a while, but my husband is very... adaptable. His honor has always guided him."

"He had been staying at the Tendos' for months and never thought to contact you!" Ranma frantically pointed out. She had found her voice raising and took a breath to calm herself. "Did you ever even wonder why you always, always missed him? How many times did you visit?" she asked, her voice still ragged. "Every time you missed them. Every time!"

Nodoka bolted upright in her chair as if the thought never occurred to her. "Really? But Soun's always been there." She knew the problems her husband had with his friends - if he was a weaker man, he would be led astray by them.

Ranma's irritation with this person was unpalatable. The nanny closed her eyes and gathered her wits. How could anyone not wonder about coincidences like that? Especially when their own child was involved.

"I assumed that was because they were training and didn't want to be disturbed," Nodoka answered in a tone that showed that she did not quite believe her own statement. She wondered if her husband was out with one of his other friends; in between training their son. The closed eyes and seemingly benign expression on the younger redhead were off-putting.

Ranma's lips formed a thin line, and she opened her eyes in a deliberate manner. "How well do you know Genma?" she asked with a frightening calmness. Ranma reminded herself of what her boss would do in this situation.

The two girls and one woman at the table collectively blinked at the redhead. The heavy silence that followed was very uncomfortable. Akane had an uneasy feeling that Ranma was about to do something she would regret and was determined to head that off, but Nodoka interrupted her.

"He's my husband," Nodoka said flatly. "I know him better than you," she added with some irritation mixed with worry.

"I've seen him more recently than you, and Genma may be many things, Aunty, but honorable is not one of them," Ranma concluded coolly. It took effort, but one did not win by losing her own temper. She paused to control herself again lest her anger took control.

"Ranko!" Nodoka said in surprise and just as quickly composed herself. "I understand that you are under a great deal of stress and worried about my son, but it won't do to slander another person because of it. People always insult my husband and I'm sick of it!"

The table fell silent on that declaration. Nami quietly sipped her soup. The soft, intimate lighting and formal clothes made for quite the scene - like some drama you only see on TV or something. Not knowing what else to do, Nami opted for staying as inconspicuous as she could manage, while still being at the table.

"People aren't always what you think they are," Ranma said an icy tone. "And since I've met your husband far more recently than you have... let's just say that you are in for a major disappointment."

Studying the redhead, Nodoka wore a expression that was a mixture of concern and confusion. "Explain," she stated more than asked. Clearly, the girl was upset with her husband - she wondered if Soun had done something to do with it. Her husband's friends could be trouble and Genma, bless his heart, tried his best to reform them - even as they tempted him. It was a noble effort.

"Er... Ranma-" Akane began, finding her voice. She hoped to do damage control. Gone was the reactionary young boy, or even the frightened teenage girl; in their place was a very controlled but very angry young woman.

"Let me tell you about Ukyo Kuonji," Ranma said with a vicious smile. "Better yet, you can meet her yourself. Just stop by Ucchan's Okonomiyaki next time you are in Nerima and speak with her," Ranma firmly said. "And after you do, come back and tell me how honorable your husband is."

"Who is this Ukyo Kuonji?" Nodoka asked. "And what does this person have to do with my husband and son?"

"Ranma," Akane almost pleaded, forgetting her own meal entirely. What had come over Ranma? She was usually happy to spend any amount of time with her mother, but now she seemed very irritated just to be in the same room as Nodoka. Akane had seen a little bit of what she had assumed was nervousness, but now... "I don't think that Aunty would be interest-"

"Interested in what?" Ranma sharply asked; it was as if something had suddenly snapped inside her and she was not in the mood for covering for her father anymore. She paused to regain her composure, her lips reforming into a thin line before continuing . "Aunty should be interested in meeting Ranma's fiancee," she said with deliberate calmness.

"Is someone saying my husband engaged Ranma to this Kuonji girl?" Nodoka asked with narrowed eyes. This would not be the first time someone had tried to drag her husband's name through he mud by accusing him of such a thing.

"Your husband has been a busy man," Ranma stated with a bit less vitriol. Her attempts to bleed down her rage were working and it was replaced by an icy distance, it almost felt like a cool void. She was the one in control here.

Akane froze unsure what to do. She could swear she was seeing frost around the redhead. If not for the worrisome throbbing vein on Ranma's forehead she would swear the soul of ice was being tapped for this.

"I thought Akane was Ranma's fiancee," Nami said with puzzlement, breaking her silence. The afternoon had become more and more confusing as it went on - and it didn't help that her friend seemed to share the same name as the older woman's son.

"Uh, she is," Ranma bitterly smirked, looking at Nami, and pushing current developments relating to Nabiki aside. "As is Miss Kuonji," she continued, changing her gaze to her mother. "As well as many others."

"_Two fiancees'?_" Nami thought . The situation was strange, almost like a TV drama, that they were all dressed in traditional garb just made things more surreal.

"There were others," Ranma restated more firmly. "No thanks to his father... Ranma himself succeeded in annulling most of them, but the Tendo and Kounji engagements have too much riding on them to be so easily dismissed."

Nodoka mechanically turned to Akane. "Is this true?" She had heard the rumors about her husband, but knew them to be rumors, at heart. Her husband was not perfect, but he made up for his mistakes, he always did and the engagement with the Tendos was his idea after all. No, she was fairly sure that it was a big misunderstanding, or worse... someone trying to sabotage her husband... again.

Swallowing, Akane slowly nodded. "Yes Aunty, it is true."

"Then we must talk about this later," Nodoka announced. "This is after all a family matter," she said while stealing a glance at Nami. "I'll ask Genma to explain when I see him."

"And you would believe anything he tells you?" Ranma asked not as pointedly as before. The sudden anger had started to run its course leaving her feeling a bit empty. "He's been tricking you for years."

"I highly doubt that," Nodoka intoned. Her husband had confided in her, even to things that were... less than honorable. "But no, he won't be the only person I talk to," Nodoka promised. She was disturbed by the younger redhead's sudden shift in attitude. "I'm sure Soun's involved too" Nodoka, briefly glanced to Akane, and held her tongue. Soun _had_ mellowed over the years. "And I'm sure Miss Kounji will have a fascinating view on things," her tone indicated skepticism on that engagement.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Ranma said, her tone was disturbingly civil as she took another bite of her food. "Let's just say that your son is tired of paying for his father's mistakes."

"You seem quite concerned about my son," Nodoka idly stated. She liked it better when Ranko was full of fury and malice, but the long pauses and clinical demeanor was somewhat disturbing. The nanny had shifted from young girl to mature women much too fast, had something happened to her?

Nami held her tongue. The changeover in her friend was amazing. She knew how stern and mature Ranma could be in "nanny mode", but this was the first time she saw it channeled so forcefully.

"You bet I am," Ranma said. "I just wonder if Ranma wasn't man-"

"Ranma," Akane interrupted. "Can I speak to you a moment? Please? It's important."

"What do you-" Ranma began, only to be tugged by the arm by Akane as she passed her chair.

Keeping herself firmly seated, Ranma turned and stared Akane down.

Akane took a step back from the bespectacled girl. "We'll be right back," Akane assured as she motioned for Ranma to follow.

Akane escorted Ranma and retreated to the ladies room where Akane hoped to have a private moment with the redhead. Seeing that this restaurant was upscale enough to actually have a restroom attendant, took her back slightly. Unsure as to what to do next, Akane looked at Ranma and back at the attendant. "Err... could we have a moment alone? We need to talk about... something." Akane thinly asked the traditionally dressed attendant.

The kimono-clad attendant blinked at the teens.

"It's okay, Orimi-san," Ranma said with a bow. "We'll only be a moment."

"Of course Miss Ranma, I'll be just outside if you need me" the attendant bowed, before exiting the room leaving the two teens behind. Once assured that they were alone, Akane rounded on the redhead. "What in the hell do you think you're doing?" Akane loudly whispered. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Ranma laughed as she looked at her reflection in the elegant mirror. It was a bit overstated for her tastes, and seemed too formal for the bathroom. "Like I'll let myself be killed. I've been gone for the better part of a year Akane, remember?" she asked with a satisfied smile, once she had finished adjusting her hair and touching up her makeup.

"Right, you already escaped from them." Akane sighed as jealousy crept into her voice. "So why push your Mom then? Just let her have her delusions."

"You think it is all right to let... to let my mom live a lie?" Ranma asked with mock horror.

"Oh, get off it Ranma. You nearly tore her head off. Don't tell me you care about her feelings."

Ranma frowned, she did not want to be so... emotional, but she wanted to be in control, to be in control of her life. "She thinks Pops is the height of honor; she hasn't a real clue to the kind of man that she married and she doesn't want to know."

"How can you say that? She doesn't know because no one... has... told her...," Akane's voice trailed off.

As Ranma waited for Akane to continue, she adjusted her yukata. "Well?" She asked pointedly.

"Okay... I'll give you that," Akane conceded. "But telling her? Aren't you afraid of what will happen?"

Ranma laughed. "Oh, afraid of what? Getting kicked out of her home and the family?"

"What about the contract?"

Ranma slowly turned to Akane. "What about it?" she flatly asked. "It doesn't mean anything."

"Doesn't mean...?"Akane muttered as she stared at the redhead for a few heartbeats. Out of a desire to not irritate Ranma further, Akane let the last comment go. "Okay... but promise me you won't do anything until you at least calm down."

"Akane-"

"Please?"

Drawing and releasing a deep breath, Ranma evaluated her friend. "Why?"

Akane paused. "I...I just don't want you going off half cocked."

"Half cocked?" Ranma asked sounding insulted. She waited for a second.

"Okay, I mean I don't want you to... it's like you're using the Soul of Ice. Don't just throw away everything with your Mother."

"I can just tell her everything, and if she doesn't believe me so what?" Ranma looked down. "The worst she can do is never see me again, and that's what I've got going now."

The room fell silent as Akane couldn't think of anything to refute that last statement.

"She promised to check out Ukyou, don't you think that'll help? Let her figure it out." Akane manage to work out. "Look, you still care about her, otherwise you wouldn't even be here arguing with her."

"Fine," Ranma sighed and adjusted her obi one last time. She then turned to check out her profile and smiled. Hotaru-chan was right She was growing up nicely, no more being a short little girl for her or Hotaru.

"That's it?" Akane asked with surprise as Ranma exited the bathroom. She quickly followed the redhead back to the table.

"Did you girls sort things out?" Nodoka idly asked, looking up from her lunch. "I was just talking with Nami about the quality of their seafood."

"I thought the spices on Mrs. Saotome's fish were a bit bland," Nami confessed.

"I tried telling her that the subtleties were supposed to contrast with the rice dish," Nodoka explained.

"Really now?" Ranma was suspicious. It was strange, seeing her mother outside her visits to the Tendo's - she was far different than the bumbling woman she had met.

"You know what I mean. You obviously know fine food," Nodoka offhandedly said while gesturing to the quality and quantity of food that Ranma had ordered for them. "Did that come from your employer?"

Ranma mulled over the inquiry. She wanted to stay mad at her mother, but more importantly she wanted to keep her cool. "It did." She looked to see Nami uncomfortably fidget. "Did you discuss anything else with Nami?"

"I was curious if you had a boyfriend," Nodoka replied after taking a sip of tea.

Ranma smirked. "That's okay, I suppose."

"I'm sure your progress has helped things in that area," Nodoka offered. "And your choice in clothing is a lot less... provocative."

"Yes, I'm a role model now," Ranma shrugged and tried to focus her mind again. "I have to be responsible."

"It must be nice to be independent and on your own," Nodoka idly remarked.

Ranma's anger sputtered into confusion. "That's a strange thing for you to say" she stated with suspicion.

"You always seemed very nervous and ill at ease at the Tendos, at least whenever I visited," Nodoka innocently added.

Ranma smirked. "I do feel better having less hassles in my life," she said before resuming her meal.

"It must have been troubling enough to warrant such a complete break," Nodoka agreed. "At least you have people willing to help you and that understand."

Ranma's eyes flicked to Akane and Nami before returning to her mother. "Yes, that is nice," she said evenly, thinking of Setsuna and Hotaru.

"I'm heartened that you've also taken such a long term commitment. It speaks volumes about your character," Nodoka smiled.

"Oh?" Ranma asked.

"Makes sense, you dote over Hotaru," Nami reminded.

Ranma fought the threatening blush. "I like my job."

"It's more than a job for you," Nodoka remarked, with a little smirk. "It's your lifestyle, isn't it?"

"I take my responsibilities seriously," Ranma sternly replied.

Nodoka leaned back with a little smile.

Ranma paused. "What about you?"

Nodoka looked up from her meal. "Yes?" she asked in a seemingly clueless voice.

"How's your business going? You're an appraiser right?"

"Yes, clients come to me with family heirlooms and I assess their value, sometimes I make purchases or sell. Business-wise I'm doing fairly well and it is enjoyable work, especially the collecting."

Ranma cocked her head. "Hardly traditional it seems," she remarked.

"Perhaps." Nodoka then smiled. "It is nice to see you concerned about proper behavior."

"You do seem more clearheaded here," Ranma remarked tersely before reigning herself in. "Maybe Nerima has something in the air,"

Nodoka paused as she ate some fish. "Yes, just look at how you've blossomed after a few months away," she finally said with a big smile.

Akane blinked. She did not know what to make of that. Nerima was always weird, but so was Ranma's life... until now. Was she seeing what a stress-free Ranma was like? A happy and cultured nanny? That could not be... but everything she had seen said otherwise.

"Shame you still have business that keeps you going back to Nerima," Ranma mused.

"My son and husband are important." Then as if Nodoka were recalling something spoke again. "Though you gave me some other... residents to visit." She was certain it was just a misunderstanding. Joining the houses was her husband's idea, why would he endanger that through his own actions? She idly wondered if someone had taken advantage of her husband's trust again. That was his one, true fault. She reminded herself to contact her husbands old friends and see if they had anything to say.

"Yes, they should be informative," Ranma agreed.

Nami watched this with heightened interest. It was fascinating, nothing like the fights she had with her own family. Ranma's habit of pausing whenever she was about to lose control was quite useful. She wondered how that would work for her the next time she got in it with her mother.

"So you mentioned training your charge in martial arts?" Nodoka asked.

"Yes, it's great for building her strength mentally and physically." Ranma's expression warmed. "Hotaru needed both."

"It's good that you can be there for her," Nodoka said sadly as she looked down at her plate.

Ranma looked at her mother; she looked vulnerable and... remorseful? Ranma shook off those impressions, the woman was right across from her and yet she had no idea. "Yes," Ranma drawled out. "A child... needs someone... to help them."

"Guidance is important," Nodoka agreed as she paused to sip at her tea, she found the flavor to be exquisite.

"Luckily, Ranma – your Ranma - came out all right in spite of his father," Ranma said in a dark undertone. She wanted to gauge this woman's reaction.

"Rank- Ranma," Nodoka corrected. "I'm sure that it is all a mistake and I intend to clear it up. I'm sure after that you'll see how fine a man my husband is."

_  
"What's going on? I know this woman can't be completely clueless. Why's she like this now?"_ Ranma asked herself, griping her chopsticks a bit tighter. She got a weird feeling of deja-vu. "And what about your son?"

"I would like to see him again."

"That's why you're looking for your son?" Ranma asked. The other two girls continued to sit back and watch. "To see how he turned out?'

Nodoka's face frowned deeply before shifting to a forced smile. "It's part of it."

"What else is there?" Ranma asked as Akane and Nami shared looks of discomfort.

Nodoka placed her chopsticks down on its holder and looked at Ranma with almost piercing eyes - but only lasted for a instant. "Why would there be anything else?"

"He's your child, shouldn't you want to have had more of a role in his life?" Ranma asked, exasperated.

"Yes, but the training trip was vital," Nodoka insisted, but she did wish Genma had visited more frequently. "The agreement was his way of assuring me that he would uphold his promise."

Ranma paused to compose herself. "So you really believe that some oath would keep him in line?"

"An honorable man would never break an oath like that," Nodoka sternly reminded. Ranko was also correct; it was also a wonderful way to make sure a man stayed honorable, not that her husband needed much prodding in that area, especially when he was out training away from his friends.

"An honorable man would not create an oath like that." Ranma countered as she leaned forward. "If you were so certain of his skills then why did you feel the need to accept a pact like that from him and your child?"

"Ranko..." Nodoka caught herself, her husband's problems were private. "You don't understand my husband."

"I understand him just fine," Ranma focused her attention on her mother. "But what about the pact? You can't tell me your husband is Mr. Perfect while simultaneously allowing him to swear an oath like that."

Nodoka laughed for a couple seconds "I never said my husband was perfect. He is no saint, but when it comes down to it, he does the right thing. We knew the oath would never fail; it was just a reminder of how committed he was to our son's future." She looked slyly at the skeptical nanny. Giving her husband peace of mind while he went away was important, if Genma needed the oath to be a reminder then Nodoka would allow it.

"Not perfect?" Ranma blinked. She did not expect this level of candor from her mother, especially about her father.

"Now, now don't be shocked. You're not the first generation of girls to like 'bad boys'."

Silence fell about the four girls. Ranma regarded her mother with a mixture of confusion and suspicion. One minute Nodoka seem very intelligent and able, the next, clueless. The liking "bad boys" comment didn't help either. Time to lay the cards on the table.

"So... was this all an act?" Ranma bluntly asked.

"Act?" Nodoka guardingly asked.

"Yeah, how many times have you visited looking for your son? And not one of those times, did you mention having a career or any real substance!" Ranma's voice became slightly heated. She closed her eyes and waited. "It's like you were some bland cutout. What gives?"

"I not sure what you mean," Nodoka replied in clueless manner, that annoyed Ranma.

"I mean you were waving that sword of yours around and talking about manliness as if it were an obsession," Ranma stated matter-of-factly. "And now you are behaving... almost like a normal person."

Nodoka gave a ghost of a smile and took sipped her tea. "I could ask the same about you."

"Pardon?"

"It's an amazing transformation, isn't it?" Nodoka asked her eyes twinkling.

"This isn't about me," Ranma grumbled.

"Why not?" Nodoka said with the hint of a pout.

"Look, I just want to know what kind of mother Ranma has," Ranma explained with annoyance.

"Yes, I can see that you are very interested in my son, Ranma." Nodoka added using what she thought was a rather strange alias. "But please understand that he is betrothed to Akane; I wouldn't want any jealousy to come between you girls," she said in a tone of seriousness mixed with chastising humor.

Ranma rubbed her forehead and brushed aside some of her curled bangs; this was starting to give her a headache. The worst part was that she was no longer all that sure if her mother was actually all that clueless or was playing with her. Where did the clumsy sword-waving ninny go?... unless, that was her toying with them all the way as far back as when she first showed up at the Tendos. If so, then why? She looked up to her mother with a puzzled expression. "I don't understand..."

Nodoka laughed. "Oh you're making a big deal out of nothing."

As Ranma pushed her glasses back up, she looked to Akane. Her friend could be dense sometimes, but she had been very sharp recently. Either way, Akane had to be able to read between the lines and know that she was not planning on returning, even after Nabiki and the others were taken care of.

Akane looked down; she had an inkling that Ranma would not come back. It was more than calling the authorities on what was going on, Ranma had a job, a long term commitment, and Ranma was not going to abandon it... just to be with her.

For Nami, she thought she had finally had a small clue as to why Ranma never dated in spite of the many opportunities for her to do so. She was not sure if she should believe the older woman's suggestion about "Ranko" having feelings for Ranma. They seemed too similar... especially their fathers.

Nami's eyes widened. Could that be it? Could "Ranko" be the love child of Genma and some other woman. That would explain the similarities and the issues her friend had with Mr. Saotome...

Nami sighed, she was thinking too much like a soap opera, stuff like that never happens in real life. Maybe "Ranko" was "Ranma's" half sister _and_ secret lover.

"Big deal out of nothing?" Ranma echoed "But... what about the contract?"

"As far as the contract goes," Nodoka continued. "That is a matter of honor and a swore pledge made by someone as honorable as my husband and it will be upheld."

"Genma.." Ranma trailed off before finding her voice. "Genma is a con man."

"Now Rank- Ranma, that is my husband you're talking about," Nodoka said with dead seriousness. She knew all about the slander leveled against her husband. She was baffled as to the level of vitriol, exaggerations, distortions and outright lies told about him.

The sheer stupidity of screwing up his own plan to join the houses... no, it had to be something else. She knew her husband; he would not do something like that; he was many things, a _complete_ moron was not one of them.

"So what's with the sword?" Ranma asked. "Something you bought off of a client?"

Nodoka gasped. "Heavens no! It is the family blade and my husband gave it to me as a token of his intent for the pledge to be upheld." She shook her head. "It is only a few hundred years old and you're right in that I could have bought a nicer sword, but that's not the point. The point is what it symbolizes: The honor of the family. The honor that we've worked so hard to defend."

"Honor of the family? I guess that's why you carry it, and only when you go around to enforce an oath that's just a reminder." Ranma dryly said. "You don't take it wherever you go do you? Just when you're looking for your husband and son."

"It was his idea," Nodoka said primly. "And I intend to humor his wishes in this regard."

"And you wonder why Ranma avoids you," the nanny muttered as she shook her head.

"Why should he? Both you and Akane assure me of his manliness."

Ranma stopped to think. "That's a good question." She then thinly smiled. "It probably has to do with Genma's actions. What with his extra engagements and other dumb ideas."

"Now, now, I'm already going to talk to this Kuonji girl, and I'll have some... _words_ with Akane's father too," Nodoka said to Ranko. She was interested to learn more about those that were insulting her husband and the family, hopefully it would also allow her to find him faster.

"Questions for Mr. Tendo?" Ranma looked thoughtful. "Your best bet is to make sure Mr. Panda isn't around." She noticed Nodoka's confused look. "The pet distracts him - he's funny that way. Anyway, some sake beforehand always helps."

"Ranma!" Akane reprimanded.

"Yes Dear," Nodoka chastised while refraining from rolling her eyes. "I know how to... talk with my husband's friend, but there's no need to be blunt about it."

"I'm sorry, Akane," Ranma bowed her head. "But it's the only way to get the truth out of him. You know that Aunty."

Nodoka nodded. She knew the key to Soun's vault.

"And don't forget Akane, his hands have been in this from the start," Ranma tersely reminded.

Nodoka allowed a ghost of a smile; she knew someone was taking advantage of her husband.

Akane sunk down a bit. "You're right." She picked at her food.

Nodoka looked between Ranko and Akane. They had earlier mentioned Nabiki's involvement in Ranko's leaving, but now it looks like it went deeper, and included her father. "I'm sure it will be okay," Nodoka offered. Even she was unsure of the truth to that. Ranko had run away from home and made a new life, that was not something done for no reason.

"Yeah, yeah," Akane sighed.

Noticing the lull Shiori came up to the table. "Is there anything more I can offer you?"

Ranma looked to the morose and thoughtful faces around her. "No, I think we're good."

"Very well," Shiori bowed and discretely slipped a leather pamphlet to Ranma. She knew that Miss Meiou and Miss Ranma-chan were most generous.

Ranma flipped opened the small leather folder for a second and looked at the end number. Wordlessly she pulled out her billfold and slipped some bills into it and left the leather folder on the table.

As the redhead stood up Akane boggled. Ranma nonchalantly paying with a large pile of five-thousand yen bills was totally alien to her.

Nodoka casually looked around Ranko's payment. Though she had got the impression that Ranko's job did pay well, the scope of the disposable income that Ranko had just displayed was above her initial estimate. It was good to see that the redheaded nanny had a good boss payment-wise.

Shiori accepted the leather folder and without opening it bowed to Ranma.

"You didn't know?" Nami whispered in Akane's surprised ears as they left the table.

Akane responded with a barely perceptible shake of the head. She looked over to see the hostess chatting up with Ranma before they left the restaurant. The bright afternoon light came as a shock after the long time in the darkened atmosphere.

"I'd like to thank you girls for such a lovely time," Nodoka said as the four glided down the sidewalk. It was mid-to-late afternoon and the shoppers of the day had thinned out a tiny bit.

"It was fun," Nami piped up. However, she noticed the change in mood in her redheaded friend since the restaurant and was concerned. It was not like Ranma to be this... anxious, though she had gone out with her friend Akane...

"And thank you again for the yukata," Akane added. She really like it and did look nice in it. Though she had to worry about Nabiki stealing it. "And thank you for the lovely lunch, Ranma."

The four continued on in silence for a moment.

"How about you Ran-Ranma?" Nodoka asked, also noticing the change in her niece. "Did you have fun?"

"Umm... yeah," Ranma replied rather lamely; she then caught herself. "Oh yes, I did

Aunty," she continued with exaggerated gayety. "I just wish that my lunch treat was appreciated by you."

Nodoka eyed the young girl's face, it was as if she was trying to make a connection; a connection that was resisted. She could almost swear to seeing a mean smirk surface on the girl's face. "_So young and so burdened,"_ Nodoka mentally concluded_. "Perhaps she does need someone - an adult - to talk to about her problems. Perhaps I should make myself available to her... hmmm... how to do it without being overt? Ah!"_

"That's quiet all right, I did enjoy being with you girls today," Nodoka finally said. She eyed the shorter redhead. "You said that you and your charge practice at Prince Arisugawa Park?"

"Yes ma'am," Ranma replied in what had become a familiarly cool tone. "When the weather is nice. It's my duty to care for Hotaru and her needs."

"Then perhaps I will run into you there sometime," Nodoka offhandedly said. "I do go for walks that take me near there. Here take my card," she slipped a thin card out of a card holder she kept in her obi.

"Er... that would be great Aunty," Ranma said turning the rather professional and elegant card over. Her face lightened a bit. Maybe Akane was right and she could find a way break the news to her mother more gently, or at least feel her mother out more.

Feeling she made the right decision, Nodoka nodded more to herself than to Ranma. "Then I hope to see you and your charge sometime."

"That would be good," Ranma allowed, eyeing her mother carefully.

Stopping at a street corner, Nodoka bowed to the younger girls who returned it with a deeper one of their own. "It has indeed been a pleasure," the older woman said. "I hope to see all of you in the future."

"Thanks so much for your help," Nami said as she rose from her bow. "I can't wait to get home and show my parents."

Smiling, Nodoka nodded in replied and addressed Ranma. "I hope to see you as well, Ranma; and it is so good to see you finally maturing into a fine young, woman."

"Thank you Aunty," Ranma said cheerfully, she then smiled toothily. "I hope to see you real soon too."

"I will be visiting the Tendos soon," Nodoka said, now addressing Akane as well. "And I promise not to say anything about seeing Ran-Ranma."

"Thank you so much," a much relieved Akane said. Then she blinked and looked at herself. "But how I'm I going to explain this?" She asked motioning to her new yukata.

"Just tell them that you spent the afternoon shopping with your future mother-in-law and I bought it for you," Nodoka replied. "It is the truth after all."

"Oh yeah...," Akane muttered softly.

Ranma marveled again at the duality of the woman. Nodoka could display a crystal-clear sharpness and awareness but would then become clueless about her own husband and child. She wondered what was going on with her.

After a few more small pleasantries, Nodoka headed off in the direction of her home. Akane said her goodbyes and went off to the nearby rail station and the train that would take her to the Tendo dojo.

Ranma rubbed her forehead in frustration; she had missed her opportunity to tell Akane the news. Though she felt that Akane had to suspect that she was not ever coming back, Ranma did not like to leave her hanging in uncertainty. She sighed and looked over at Nami. As the two girls walked side by side, the sun dipped behind some tall building in the near distance. There was a certain silence between them that seemed hard to penetrate.

Watching the redhead out of the corner of her eye, Nami mulled over how to broach the subject. Knowing Ranma like she did, she elected for the direct approach. "Ranma, what's going on with that woman?"

Silence continued for a few heartbeats.

"She's my...," Ranma paused as if struggling with something before continuing. "She's my Aunty... as you know she's the mother of the guy that's engaged to Akane."

"Okay," Nami said carefully. "Why did she... well... is your real name Ranko?"

More silence followed. Nami knew she could ask other things, but did not want to barrage her friend with the inconsistencies and questions.

"Akane already said that I was hiding out under Ranma's name," Ranma said in a weary tone.

"Yeah," Nami said plainly followed by an extended pause. "It all makes sense that way. You're hiding out. That Nabiki stuff, whatever it is. Taking an alias." Her tone indicated that she felt there were still a few holes, but she let it drop.

"Yeah, but I'm not Ranko," Ranma said after some reflection.

"Ranma...," Nami ventured carefully. "What's going on with your cousin's fiancee? The one named Ranma, too."

Shaking her head and smirking, Ranma replied. "We're... close." She paused. "I'm sorry Nami, but I really don't want to talk about it."

Nami turned and took Ranma's hand. "I know this is hard for you. I don't know what it's all about, but I... I understand you not being ready to tell me," she said after some thought. "But if you need someone to talk too.."

The two walked in a more companionable silence until it was time to part. "Thanks, just... thanks," Ranma said looking to Nami.

"It's nothing," Nami assured. "I'll see you at school."

Ranma gave a weak grin and was surprised when Nami reached out and hugged her. She warmly smiled and watched Nami wave and walk away back to her apartment.

The crowds, on the sidewalk, were starting to thicken as the 'early birds' of the night life crawled out of their daytime dens and into the dusk. Ranma weaved through this ever-thickening crowd on autopilot, not really paying attention to her surroundings. She had let her mother believe the lies - again.

_  
"Is my life going to be nothing more than juggling these stupid lies?"_ Ranma thought darkly. "_Am I ever going to stop?"_

She stopped in her walk.

_  
"Why in the hell should I even be hiding from her in the first place?" _She thought with a scowl that frightened a passing small child, who had originally pointed at the prettily dressed woman._ "What in the hell kind of person is she that thinks that it is perfectly all right to be apart from their only child for ten damned years?"_

Now she had just avoided telling the truth to one of her friends - and that hurt her more that lying to her mother. She wished she could tell them the truth, the whole truth. Nami was willing to wait for her, but it was not fair to let her hang like that.

_  
"My whole life depends on lies..."_ Ranma thought morosely. "_A damn lie that I'm too scared to get rid of. I can make it all go away. Why can't I tell them the truth?"_

There was consolation in that she had confessed a great deal to Setsuna, "_She knows the truth, but that's because she deserved to know, especially after all she's done for me. Do the others even deserve to know? Does my mother?"_

It seemed that the only thing new was her own confusion about what and who she really was being the only new thing added into the mix. Was she a girl? Was she a guy? Did it really matter anymore? Ranma did not feel like it did, and if so, would it be so bad to be stuck as a girl? At least that way she'd know for sure what she was instead of bouncing back and forth.

Ranma suddenly found herself emotionally and intellectually tired. She wanted this mess to end and was just tempted to just tell Nodoka and her friends. It would be faster that way, and then she would be sure whether or not they accepted her, the real her.

Riding the elevator to her floor, Ranma idly fingered the new outfit that her mother had bought her, not even wondering how she was going to explain it to Setsuna and Hotaru. The elevator doors opened and Ranma padded down the hall to the apartment she shared with them and withdrew her key from her purse. With the key hovering about the keyhole, she hesitated.

With a shake of the head and a heavy sigh, Ranma unlocked and entered her apartment. The day had been completely draining.

"Welcome home," Hotaru greeted with a lively bounce in her step. She froze when she saw Ranma dressed in the yukata. "Wow, you look beautiful! Where did you get that?"

Forcing a smile, Ranma replied, "I got it over by the mall; at a place called the White Crane."

"Wow, I'd love to have something that nice," Hotaru gushed. "Setsuna-Momma! Come look at what Miss Ranma is wearing!"

Setsuna poked her head out of the kitchen. "Ranma, you're back. My, that is a nice yukata, where did you get it?"

"My... I got it at the White Crane," Ranma repeated, she then forced a smile; she did not want Hotaru to worry. This would not affect her, not if Ranma had any say to it.

"I can make dinner for us if you're feeling too tired," Setsuna offered, noticing the weariness in Ranma demeanor.

"Oh no, I'll be fine," Ranma said as she walked into the kitchen, forcing her tiredness aside. Her hands twitched and she relished the chance give them something to do.

"Going to cook in your yukata?" Setsuna amusedly asked as Ranma started the stove.

The redhead looked down and blinked. "Oh - right," she slowly said. "I'll be back in a sec," she said as she left the kitchen. Behind her, Setsuna studied her with curious eyes.

Entering her room, Ranma closed the door behind her and exhaled a long breath, causing her to sag against it. Mechanically, Ranma removed the yukata and folded it neatly under one arm. Sliding open the closet, she was placed it reverently on the small shelf along with other folded up garments.

_  
"The yukata really is... nice,"_ Ranma thought as she patted the turquoise color cloth with the wave pattern weaved into it. It was smooth and soft under her fingertips "_It was... fun.. to be with mom,"_ she thought with irritation. She was not used to being coy with her mother - she should not have to be. The choice was now Nodoka's. She could live without her mother. She was not sure Nodoka could say the same thing.

The knock on the door was soft, yet loud enough to shake Ranma from her morosing.

"Ah... who is it?" she asked, then immediately felt stupid; it was probably Hotaru.

"It's me," came Setsuna's voice.

"Ahh...," Ranma looked around in a sudden attack of modesty for something to wrap herself in, then stopped. "_Idiot," _she scolded herself. "_We're both girls here"_. Clearing her throat, Ranma responded. "Come in."

The door opened and Setsuna stepped inside, pausing at the sight of Ranma's back, clad only in a bra and panties before closing the door behind her. Ranma was in the midst of removing the clothes she had worn that morning from a shopping bag and placed them neatly on her bed. She appraisingly watched as Ranma mechanically dressed herself.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Setsuna ventured.

"There's nothing to talk about," Ranma said emotionlessly as she pulled out her uniform.

"What happened?"

"Nothing happened," Ranma replied as she turned to face Setsuna, while her fingers buttoned her blouse without thought. She sighed and reminded herself to let that out again. A new bra usually foretold new blouses.

Setsuna leaned her back against the door and crossed her arms. She smiled thinly at Ranma's clothing troubles. "Something's bothering you. What is it?"

They stared at one another in complete silence for what seemed like an hour. Ranma sighed; Setsuna always was better at waiting than her. "I ran into my mother today."

"Okay," Setsuna said as she exhaled. From what Ranma had told her of the woman... this could be very good or very bad. "What happened?"

"Oh we had a good time," Ranma said with a trace of bitterness. "Akane, Mom, Nami and - Ranko," she sarcastically said the last name and pulled on her skirt and started adjusting it. She frowned; she was going to have to let that out again too.

Running into her mother explained Ranma's mood, Setsuna expected as much. "Is there anything I can do?" she asked as Ranma tied her apron on.

"Not unless you can get my Mom over some of her ideas of manliness," Ranma sighed out, as she clipped her brooch in place. She checked out her reflection and then turned to Setsuna. "Your nanny is ready for duty Miss Meiou," Ranma said curtsying theatrically.

"Wonderful," Setsuna dryly remarked. A bow was more traditional, but what Ranma did showed off more leg.

Ranma rose from her curtsy and followed Setsuna back to the kitchen. "Then again, if I told her I can stop living a lie. And it's not like I have her as a mother now - so who cares what happens?"

Setsuna's confusion overshadowed any anger. "A lie? You think you're living a lie?"

"Well what would you call it?" Ranma angrily asked as she pulled food out of the pantry. She turned and whispered to Setsuna "I lied to my mom... my friends... even Hotaru. You're... you and Akane are the only people that really know anything about me!"

"And I don't count?" Setsuna interrupted firmly, as she took the food away from her servant and placed it on the counter.

"No! You count," Ranma said somewhat offended before flustering over how what she had said sounded. "I mean... It's... It's just that... I feel that..." she stopped speaking and looked very lost, and backed out of the pantry.

Setsuna stepped up to the smaller woman with such determination that Ranma stepped back involuntarily. "Do you think Hotaru's improvement is a lie?"

"No... but...," Ranma stammered as she worked her way over to the refrigerator.

"You have friends at school that would do anything for you-" Setsuna continued as she followed behind the redhead.

"But they don't know I'm- they don't know who I really am," Ranma said as she started rummaging through the fridge for produce.

"Who are you then?" Setsuna asked sharply, as she pulled out a cutting board.

Ranma turned and opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came out. She took the wooden board with one hand and fingered her brooch with the other.

"You know who I am," Ranma finally said. " I just don't want to lie anymore. I was this close to telling Mother everything, just to get it over with," she said as she took out a knife, twirled it and started preparing the vegetables.

"I know you're not lying to me. Remember when you came out and told me everything?"

"That's the idea, but I'm not sure she's worth it. A mother's love should be unconditional, not dependent on some stupid contract," Ranma said lost in the art of cutting.

Setsuna watched as Ranma sliced and chopped the vegetables into neat pieces. Even as distracted by her troubles as she was, Ranma remained meticulous in the meal's preparation.

"Yes," Setsuna agreed. "A mother's love should have no strings attached. How much do you know about the woman?"

Ranma ceased her slicing and paused in thought. "I really not sure anymore," she admitted. "I thought I knew something about her, but after today... I'm not sure."

The kitchen was silent for a few heartbeats.

"Well... besides, you are who you are - that's why you got the job." Setsuna smiled. "You're almost a straight 'A' student, you've become one of the most kind, considerate people I've ever met," Setsuna listed. "Hotaru loves you like the sister she never had... I-I care about you as to whether you are happy or not. How can you say that's all a lie?"

The kitchen fell silent again.

"Well... okay, but I don't know what to do about all this. I'm still..." Ranma's words died in her throat when she looked up to see Hotaru in the room, silently looking at her._ "Oh no." _her mind panicked as she felt the bottom fall out of her stomach._ "How much did she hear?"_

"Miss Ranma? What's wrong?" Hotaru asked her nanny.

Ranma put her knife down, relieved that Hotaru missed the discussion. "I... I ran into some family."

"You did what you had to do. You escaped being bought and sold as a slave, forced into being a second class citizen, married off to whomever is the highest bidder and hurt, maimed or killed," Setsuna said pointedly. "Is that the kind of life you want for yourself? You're better off now than you were - and that's no lie."

"That's what you left from?" Hotaru said with shock. She then ran into the kitchen and wrapped her arms around Ranma's waist. "I'm so sorry."

Hugging her charge, Ranma brightened a bit. Hotaru's total affection was a benefit to Ranma's self worth. "Yeah...," she mumbled uncomfortably. "I know. I ain't goin' back, but I don't want to run from Mom either."

"Ranma," Setsuna began as she placed her hands on the redhead's shoulders, turning this into a group hug, "What do you want? You have to have some idea."

"I want...," Ranma looked lost for a moment before finding her voice, with Setsuna now putting her arms around her chest, in addition to Hotaru's embrace it was hard to think. "I want my mom to love me in spite of... what I am now, I want Nabiki, Pops and anyone else that tries to own me to leave me alone, I want...," Ranma paused and looked lost again for a moment before finishing, "I want to be happy."

"Are you happy... here with us?"

The nanny looked down to see Hotaru happily gazing up at her. "Yes," Ranma admitted easily. "I feel like... I'm part of a family, you know? I grew up on the road with just Pops and I - then at the Tendos, I was more of a guest than part of the family, but here... here I feel like I really belong."

"I feel like you're family too," Hotaru readily agreed as she tightened her hold on the redhead.

Setsuna stepped around Ranma and, standing next to Hotaru, she took one hand and placed it under the redheads chin, steering the smaller girl to look up at her. "How can I help?"

Looking up into those magenta eyes, Ranma felt her cheeks warm. Her heart unexpectedly fluttered in her chest as a warm sensation flowed through her. "Aaaa... yeah," she murmured; she then blinked. Taking a breath to control herself, she answered softly, "But I don't know how."

"We'll work something out," Setsuna assured with a smile.

"Thanks, er... thanks. I... I should get back to dinner," Ranma stammered while trying to contain a blush. Setsuna had a way of doing that to her and it was getting worse the longer she was there... and the closer she got.

"Can I help?" Hotaru asked.

"Sure thing squirt," Ranma smiled brightly, glad for the distraction and the fact the temperature in the room had returned to normal. "It's not just martial arts that I can teach you."

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"Are you sure of this?" Setsuna asked as she and Hotaru followed Ranma.

"Yes, you guys need proper clothes." Ranma gave an evil little smile. "You two don't have anything traditional at all."

Setsuna shrugged. "It's just that this was the store you met your mother in."

"I was going here anyway. It was a coincidence that she was going there too," Ranma explained as she fingered her yukata.

"Of course." Setsuna had her own feelings about coincidences, but Ranma was right. They should dress nicely for tomorrow.

"So what's this place like?" Hotaru happily asked. Clothes shopping with Miss Ranma was always fun, especially now that her nanny was over her bashfulness with dressing rooms.

"You'll see," Ranma said as they approached the White Crane.

The trio entered and waited in the front of the store. Setsuna walked to one of the racks.

"Not bad," she said testing out the material.

"Very pretty," Hotaru said as she looked around the racks.

Setsuna watched as an elderly woman politely excused herself from a middle-aged couple and walked over to them.

"Miss Ranma! So pleasant to see you again," Etsuko happily greeted, more so when she saw what the redhead was wearing.. She looked to Setsuna and Hotaru. "And who are these lovely women?"

"Meiou, Hotaru," the younger girl said with a bow.

"Meiou, Setsuna. Myself and Ranma are Hotaru's guardians."

"Lovely, so what can I do for you?" Etsuko asked. She could see what No-chan meant. It was obvious that Setsuna could afford a live-in nanny, especially given how she was dressed.

"They need something to wear to watch the cherry blossoms," Ranma explained.

"You weren't planning on going in that suit were you?" Etsuko asked with just the barest hints of impending disapproval.

Setsuna found herself blushing slightly. "No that wouldn't be proper."

"Good," Etsuko happily clapped her hands together.

"I noticed you were busy, Aunty Etsuko," Ranma noted.

"They're just about to make their purchase. I'll be right back," Etsuko assured before going back to the middle-aged couple.

"I suppose we should get a yukata for Hotaru," Setsuna evaluated.

"A full kimono would be too stuffy for her," Ranma agreed. She then smiled wickedly at her employer.

"Oh no," Setsuna stepped back.

"Oh, good idea!" Hotaru nodded happily.

"Now girls..."

"Extra-large bow on her obi," Ranma mused aloud with one hand under her chin as she appraised Setsuna.

"And some nice geta?" Hotaru added.

"Are you three ready?" Etsuko asked after she returned.

"Yes ma'am," Setsuna said as she looked over and saw the middle-aged couple contentedly leave the store.

"So a proper kimono?" Etsuko looked over the tall, green-haired woman. "Yes, I think I might have something that fits your frame."

"Sounds lovely," Setsuna said, shooting a look at Ranma and Hotaru. Ranma managed an innocent air about her while Hotaru covered her mouth, suppressing a giggle.

"Hmm... too informal of an event for a Furisode," Etsuko muttered. "She would look great with those long sleeves," she added.

"I think a Komon would be best," Setsuna suggested. While preferring western fashions, her job required her to know more traditional garments as well.

"Good choice. We'll dress it up with a nice obi," Etsuko said. "And you can wear it for day to day activities too."

"Oh good, you can wear it to work then," Ranma teasingly added.

"Good idea," chimed in Hotaru.

"Oh, yes," Setsuna sighed as she followed Etsuko to the fitting room.

"We'll start close in with a nice susoyoke and hadajuban," Etsuko said as she asked Setsuna to disrobe and take measurements. "I'll be just a moment," she said as she ran off to get the thin petticoat and undershirt like garments.

She returned and handed the garments to Setsuna who stripped and slipped them on.

"You know I'm going to have to count on you for help," she teasingly asked Ranma.

"Oh yes," Ranma coughed as she fidgeted with her own obi. She didn't realize how much she was staring at Setsuna. "I think... I think I'll find a nice yukata for Hotaru."

"Of course you would know her sizes," Etsuko stated as she pondered what kind of nagajuban would work.

"I heard that you're Miss Ranma's Aunty's Aunty," Setsuna casually said after Ranma left to tend to Hotaru.

"Oh yes, No-chan was always a sweet girl. Sometimes in her own little world, but who isn't?"

"That is true," Setsuna agreed.

"I'll be right back; I think I found a nagajuban that'll work," Etsuko said as she left.

Setsuna's pondering on how a seventeen year old girl had outsmarted her were cut short by Etsuko's return. Setsuna accepted the pale green robe with a little smile.

"I thought you would like the pattern," Etsuko laughed.

"A subtle sprinkling of Japanese maple leaves is very nice," Setsuna evaluated as she slipped it on. Unsurprisingly, it fit quite well. "Yes, this is suitable."

Etsuko nodded. "So you're curious about Mrs. Saotome?"

Setsuna raised an eyebrow.

"I suppose your employee is close to her." Etsuko walked around Setsuna and adjusted her nagajuban.

"Yes," Setsuna said.

"No-chan is a very sweet woman. She does have... unusual views about her family, but everyone has a strange family. Wouldn't you agree?" Etsuko pointedly asked.

"Oh yes, Hotaru can be a handful for Ranma and myself." Setsuna allowed herself to smile.

"It must be reassuring to have a servant that you can trust like that," Etsuko stated as she shifted Setsuna's clothes and finalized her plans.

"It was required for the position." Setsuna simply said, studying her reflection and admiring the outfit thus far.

Etsuko regarded Setsuna a moment, looking deeper than just the clothes. "More than a servant though, isn't she?"

"Excuse me?" Setsuna blinked, unsure that she heard correctly.

"I'll be right back," Etsuko excused herself.

Alone, Setsuna returned to her reflection, it was a shame that such a lovely garment should be concealed, but that was the way things were.

"Here we go," Etsuko said as she returned carrying a large garment. She then slipped it onto Setsuna.

"I forgot how heavy all this is," Setsuna muttered, shifting her weight a bit.

"We could have some imono hiyoku layering if you want," Etsuko offered with a grin.

"I might as well wear a western gown with petticoats or a crinoline," Setsuna countered. "Maybe for Ranma," she idly mentioned.

"Oh? Maybe we should get a nice kimono for her," Etsuko said.

A Homongi," Setsuna said without thinking.

"Formal... got some nice galas to take her to?" Etsuko asked. "Though big flowing patterns do suit her."

Setsuna smirked as she adjusted her kimono. The earth tones and forest pattern complimented her hair quite well. Etsuko had a good eye and definitely knew her trade.

"I do know all her measurements," Etsuko helpfully added as she started tying an obi around Setsuna.

"Black? Very nice," Setsuna complimented the choice.

"It fits your disposition," Etsuko shrugged. "So you want to pamper up your... associate?"

"Of course," Setsuna smiled. "I suggest coming back on a later date to... discuss Ranma's gift."

"A surprise?" Etsuko grinned widely. "How wonderful."

"She deserves it," Setsuna said simply.

"It's nice to see that Ranma has such a caring boss," Etsuko said delicately as she put on some final adjustments. "There, done!"

Setsuna looked at her reflection with a little smile. "Nice, but did you have to tie the bow so large?"

"It's just to show off," Etsuko assured as she led Setsuna back to the main room. "Well?" she asked Ranma and Hotaru, who almost dropped the garments they were handling.

"Oh my," Ranma said looking her boss over. "That... that really fits you."

"Tell me about it," Setsuna good naturally groused as she shifted the robes on her shoulders.

"Wow, you really look pretty Setsuna-momma," Hotaru said with a smile holding a yukata.

"Thanks," Setsuna said with a slight blush. "Did you girls find anything?"

"Show her, Hotaru," Ranma prompted.

Hotaru happily held up a deep violet yukata. On it was a pattern of pink Ume blossoms.

"Can I try this one on?"

"Of course," Setsuna beamed.

Hotaru happily ran to the dressing room and was followed by Etsuko.

"Wow, Aunty Etsuko does not do things halfway." Ranma walked around Setsuna to get the full view of her new outfit.

"Yes, she knows her stuff," Setsuna shifted her obi a bit. "Oh, I talked to her some.

According to her, your mother has always been a bit... off."

"Figures," Ranma sighed. "Any explanation as to why she's like that? Or what the deal is?"

"She says everyone lives in their own world."

Ranma rubbed her chin. "Own little world huh? That's odd, I spent the last year with everyone and their horse trying to control my little world. Oh there was a monkey too."

"Maybe that's what Nodoka's afraid of... losing control."

Ranma blinked in comprehension. "I guess that fits her," Ranma finally shrugged. "She could be trying to get control over the Genma situation. I guess Aunty Etsuko wouldn't tell everything she knows."

"Of course not," Setsuna agreed, as she patted Ranma on the back.

"This look is appropriate for you," Ranma laughed, bringing the conversation back to clothing. "Very powerful."

"The bow in back is too big," Setsuna said as she adjusted her obi, again.

"I dunno; it fits you somehow."

"Lovely," Setsuna rolled her eyes.

Ranma's eyes widened and she warmly smiled. "Turn around," she told Setsuna.

The older woman rotated around.

"Very good," Ranma appraised.

"Thanks," Setsuna said with a thin smirk. She then looked to see her daughter returning from the dressing rooms. "Wow... that looks great."

Hotaru blushed and turned to her Nanny. "What do you think Miss Ranma?"

"Very good," Ranma nodded. "What happened to the obi we picked out?"

"I'm sorry; It was too long," Etsuko apologized. "So I found a nice plum colored one instead. You did pick a correctly sized yukata though."

"This is great," Hotaru added as she ran her hands over the silk; she loved the feel of the material as much as the look.

Etsuko smiled. Repeat business was always handy, and she learned more about No-chan's niece. "So can I interest you three in some geta?"

Setsuna picked up on Ranma's apprehension and with an evil smile spoke. "Oh yes, that would be wonderful."

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Blossoms fell towards the earth as sunlight played across the branches above, while below Ranma lay on a spread blanket, relaxing and ignoring the soft din of the other scarcely gathered groups that were there to observe the waning blooming season of the sakura trees. Ranma focused on the passing clouds that were beyond the blossom covered limbs and enjoyed the sensation of the breeze moving over her; her eyes fluttering open and shut. Her view of passing clouds over sakura trees was suddenly interrupted by a young face looming over hers. "Yes?" Ranma asked with a contented smile.

"Do you want another dumpling?" Hotaru said pushing one under her nanny's nose. She was happy to be rid of the dumplings her nanny had made a few days ago. Seeing the end of leftovers was always a good thing.

"Thanks," Ranma said grabbing the food as she sat upright. She leaned back slightly and munched on the dumpling. "You're getting better kiddo," she said patting Hotaru on the head, and unconsciously straightened Hotaru's yukata.

"Did you have a good nap?" Setsuna asked, looking up from her book.

"I wasn't asleep," Ranma slightly pouted as she fingered the sleeve of her yukata. She grinned to see Setsuna sitting there in her kimono. It did not project the same kind of raw power that one of her suits did, but gave a more refined... presence.

"There's nothing to be guilty about," Setsuna said with a tiny smile as she adjusted her obi.

Ranma stared at the mature face and eeped in surprise when Hotaru slumped onto her. "Huh?" She exclaimed in confusion.

"Oh dear, it looks like it's contagious," Setsuna dryly remarked as she reached for a dumpling herself. Hotaru barely contained a giggle as she continued to lean against Ranma and made exaggerated snoring noises.

"Okay - maybe I was sleeping," Ranma rolled her eyes as she rummaged around in the picnic basket. "Where did you get this thing?" she asked referring to the wicker container. It was more of a chest than a basket and had compartments for drinks, flat wear, dishes, and even a section for keeping a container of rice warm. During this, Hotaru wormed her way down Ranma and laid herself out more on the blanket, using Ranma's silk covered leg as a pillow.

Setsuna coughed and to Ranma's shock actually looked embarrassed. "Well... when I adopted Hotaru..."

"She went a bit happy buying things," Hotaru finished sleepily for Setsuna as she rolled to her side. Ranma's leg was comfortable.

"I had this little idea of taking her on a nice picnic." Setsuna's tiny smile returned. "At least that came true."

"I'm just happy you had a free afternoon," Ranma added as she frowned at the desert tray. It was too early for those, despite what her stomach was telling her.

"Me too," Setsuna agreed as she reached out to pat Hotaru's leg. Hotaru turned and let out a little yawn as she tried to get more comfortable. "It was good to get some... proper clothing, as well."

"Did you have to make us get geta?"

"Oh I don't know, did you have to make me buy a kimono?" Setsuna warmly countered. "Besides I've seen you wear heels fine."

"Yeah, but those aren't platform shoes on wood," Ranma shrugged as she looked at the pile of geta on one corner of the picnic blanket. "Though they do pinch your toes less."

"Yes there's that," Setsuna agreed. "Anyway today has been great. Just spending time with... Hotaru is good. I really don't spend enough time with her," she said sadly.

"Nonsense, you spend most evenings with her. If not for Hotaru's... condition you really wouldn't need me," Ranma admitted as she began brushing some of Hotaru's hair with her fingers.

"And you're helping her overcome that quite readily," Setsuna said with deliberate thoughtfulness.

Ranma blinked.

"Oh don't worry," Setsuna laughed. "You're not going to work yourself out of a job. Hotaru would be crushed if she lost her nanny." The older woman looked at her now lightly dozing ward. "Don't forget how much you mean to me... her... well both of us."

"You're right, I really care about her too," Ranma agreed, pretending to miss the slip.

"How's her training been?" Setsuna asked.

"Good, I've never seen someone so eager to learn," Ranma said, resuming her gentle brushing of Hotaru's hair with one hand while eating a dumpling with the other.

"She likes having some control," Setsuna said as she folded her book down. "She's always been a victim of circumstance: being orphaned, being weak, being picked on for her gifts."

"She's happy to find out she doesn't have to be one," Ranma said with a quiet realization.

"Indeed, such epiphanies can be quite liberating," Setsuna picked up her book and nibbled on a rice ball. "Don't you agree?" she idly asked.

"Yeah, guess I do." Ranma looked up and watched as a blossom landed right on her glasses making her go slightly cross-eyed for a second. "I guess we picked a bit too late in the year to eat," she said flicking it off. "At least there's not that many getting in my hair."

"You do look cute," Setsuna said looking over her book. "At least you're not wearing your uniform. The ruffles in your apron would be a magnet for blossoms."

"Like my uniform isn't ruffled enough," Ranma sighed as she carefully dusted herself off so as to not disturb the now napping Hotaru.

For her part, Hotaru had once again shifted and wrapped her arms tighter around her nanny, one arm thrown across the redhead's legs, the other neatly tucked underneath her body. Hotaru made contented murmurs while doing so.

Ranma gently squeezed the shoulder of the sleeping younger girl affectionately and once again pondered about Hotaru's past. The young girl was unusually terse and guarded about her life before being adopted, and being secretive about her own past Ranma was not one to push the subject.

Setsuna looked at her watch and sighed. It was almost time.

"We're gonna have to go soon?" Ranma asked, noticing the gesture; her voice carried a trace of disappointment.

"Yes," Setsuna said, feeling ashamed that she could not tell Ranma the truth. Ranma's work with Hotaru had been amazing and she deserved to know... to not be some... servant. Sighing she put in a bookmark and closed her book. Right now there was time for Ranma to keep making a difference in her ward's life. The more impact she had now... the better things were going to be in the future, for all of them.

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The crescent moon hung heavily in the hazy sky, looking almost like a tear that was about to fall onto the city below. The populace had long retired for the night, the streetlights casting ghostly shadows across the empty streets. Restlessly Hotaru tossed and turned in her bed, hoping that sleep would claim her. After a few more moments of agitation, she sighed heavily and sat up.

"I can't sleep," she announced to the empty room.

Sighing again, she kicked off her covers and maneuvered to the edge of the bed and dangled her feet over it. Though she had grown a lot in the last few months, she still couldn't quite reach the floor. Scooting over the edge, she landed softly and padded across the dimly lit room toward the door.

_"Maybe getting something to drink will help," _she mused. She was almost to the door when something odd caught her eye.

On the sliding door to her closet was a full length mirror. Hotaru remembered that she used to like to play dress-up and pose before it in all sorts of silly ways when she was younger, but tonight something else than her reflection was there. Blinking a few times, she cautiously made her way to the mirror in the half light of the room.

She managed to suppress a gasp as she realized that the reflection in the mirror was of someone that was - and wasn't - her. The girl in the glass was about her height, perhaps a bit taller and wore a short-skirted uniform of sorts with a bow on the front and stared back at Hotaru with eyes of ice.

Nervous, but for some reason not frightened, Hotaru raised a hand and watched as the girl in the glass mimicked her. Moving closer, her counter-part did the same, Hotaru placed her hand against the glass; the reflection that wasn't hers did the same. Hotaru noticed that where their hands would have made contact it felt warm.

"Who... are you?" Hotaru asked the reflection.

In the next room, Ranma was finding it impossible to sleep. It felt as if ants were crawling over her skin, leaving itching trails in their wake. Sighing in frustration, she sat up and grumbled about the injustice of it all.

"I ain't never going to get to sleep at this rate," she bitched in a whisper as she brushed an imaginary ant off her arm. "Maybe a quick dip in the furo will help."

Out of bed and out of the room in one fluid motion, Ranma hesitated at the entrance to the bathroom that was across from her room. Something was in the air, she could feel it - she could sense it. She wondered if it was leftover anxiety from last week's adventures with her mother.

_  
"What...?" _She wondered as she cocked her head as if she were trying to see what was in the darkness of the hallway. "_Something's... wrong... but what?"_

Forgetting the quick bath, Ranma opted to follow her instincts and locate what was disturbing her. It was as if the wa of the apartment had been disturbed and a pool of... something odd... was settling somewhere in the house. She made it half way down the hall when she halted in front of Hotrau's door.

_"In here," _Ranma concluded with her heart in her throat. Grasping the doorknob, Ranma pushed the door open and stuck her head inside and spotted Hotaru standing before the mirror. She was about to ask if she was all right, when the younger girl spoke.

"Sleeping inside me?" Hotaru asked the mirror.

Cocking her head in confusion, Ranma opened the door wider to allow her to slip into the room. She drew near the young girl cautiously, Ranma bent over slightly to get a better look at her charge. _"Maybe she's sleepwalking or something,"_ Ranma mused as she eased closer to Hotaru. "_I heard some people do that."_

"Hotaru?" Ranma softly ventured.

Hotaru turned away from the mirror and faced Ranma; the look in her wide eyes immediately captured Ranma's in an almost hypnotic way. "Darkness returns once again... However I am aware now," Hotaru spoke in a way that conveyed that she was not all here.

"H-hotaru?" Ranma repeated with a mixture of anxiety and a touch of fear. Where the latter emotion came from, she didn't know; she wasn't even sure who or what she was afraid for.

"Those two thousand years that went by as I slept like a rock," Hotaru continued in the same dream-like way. "Brought upon the nightmare in this cradle that rocks back and forth..."

"Hotaru!" Ranma proclaimed loudly; the desperation in Ranma's voice seem to break whatever trance Hotaru was in as she blinked a few times in disorientation.

"Mommy?" The young girl asked in a half-daze.

"Hotaru," Ranma said as she knelt before the girl. "Are you all right? What happened?"

Blinking a few more times, Hotaru looked at Ranma in the eye. "Miss Ranma? What's wrong?"

"That's what I want to know," Ranma sighed. "Are you all right? When I came in here you were talking to the mirror."

"I was?" Hotaru asked.

"I think you were sleepwalking, squirt," Ranma said in a light manner to dissuade any worries in the younger girl might have had. "Let's get you something to drink and put you back to bed."

"O-okay," Hotaru said uncertainly as her eyes darted around the room.

Noticing Hotaru's hesitation, Ranma asked, "Nightmare?"

"I think so... I'm not sure."

Sizing up her charge's mood, Ranma made a decision. "Tell you what, how about you come sleep in my room with me tonight?"

"I'm a big girl now," Hotaru insisted. "I can take care of myself."

"I didn't say you couldn't," Ranma placated. "I just think it would be fun to have... a sleep over. How does that sound?"

A smile slowly grew on Hotaru's face "Oh, okay," she eventually agreed.

Giving the smaller girl a reassuring hug, Ranma caught a glimpse of something odd in the mirror. Shifting slightly, while being mindful of Hotaru, Ranma got into a position to get a better view. Her eyes widened.

It the light of the dim, moonlit room, Ranma saw the reflection of two women in an embrace, mimicking Ranma and Hotaru's current positions. It was them, but not quite them. Hotaru's reflection was dressed in a short sailor suited uniform of some type, the skirt a dark purple or black from what Ranma could tell from the lighting she had. There was a large, matching bow on the back of Hotaru's reflection and she wore knee high boots that also matched the color of the skirt.

Ranma's eyes widened further as she noticed what her own reflection was wearing. From what she could tell, it was something similar to what Hotaru's reflection was wearing, but she couldn't see much of it because Hotaru's reflection was in the way. What was easy to see was that Ranma was wearing elbow length gloves, earrings and a tiara.

The moment was frozen in Ranma's mind's eye...

... then Ranma blinked...

... and the moment was gone.

"Is something wrong?" Hotaru asked while breaking the hug.

"Nah," Ranma said quite convincingly, hiding her apprehension. "Just the shadows playing tricks on me. C'mon squirt," she said as she ruffled Hotaru's hair, "let's get something to drink and hit the hay."

As she led the younger girl from the room, Ranma took one last look at the mirror. It hung, as it always had, on Hotaru's closet door. In Ranma's mind's eye, it looked more now like a window to some other realm than a mirror. Was what she saw real, a trick of the light, or was it a glimpse of big changes coming in the near future?

The uncertainty of that, more than anything, filled Ranma with an intangible, awful dread.

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The roughly triangular shaped park was bordered by all sides by major roads, the mature trees that filled the space helped block the sounds of traffic down to nearly nonexistence. At first glance, the haphazard shape of the park made it appeared that it was leftover land from the roadwork that no one knew what to do with. However the history of the park was explained by the monument of a rider on a horse in bronze of the park's namesake at the front entrance.

Prince Arisugawa Memorial Park was not a large park, but it was of modest size and had some nice out of the way spots where people could be relatively alone when they were in search for peace, quiet and a bit of nature. It was a welcome splash of greenery and open space in the crowded urban environment of greater Tokyo. Among the walkways that meandered through it one could take in the small lake with a waterfall, watch the children play on the playground or go browse the many books at the central branch of the Toyko library.

And the best part was that it was located less than a kilometer from Setsuna's apartment.

Though it drew crowds of people during the day, the park was usually fairly peaceful on Sunday mornings, with only the chirping and calls of the birds as they sang overhead. This morning however, their songs were being drowned out by the sharp clacking of wood against wood that punctuated the silence.

Off to one side, in as secluded a spot as possible in a park this popular, two girls lashed out at one another with long staffs. The trees filtered the sunlight on the two and as the wind rustled through the branches the shadows underneath seemed to move with them.

The smaller of the two was wearing protective padding that made her almost appear robotic. Through as cumbersome as the padding looked, she managed to move with a degree of grace that displayed her long hours of practice. The taller redhead wasn't restricted by any protective padding and moved freely in and around the smaller girl. From time to time, various people on their morning walks would stop and admire the two combatants before moving on.

Heedless of their ever-changing audience, the two girls continued their match. The clacking of staffs rang through the small park as Hotaru, wearing padded safety gear and with grim determination, attempted to work through Ranma's defenses. The total attention and focus in the young girls eyes would be almost frightening except that it was married to a disarming smirk; the same type of smirk that was mirrored by her sparring partner.

Blocking a particularly low blow, Ranma turned and twisted her staff around Hotaru's in a disarming move that was thwarted by Hotaru pressing forward and stepping into Ranma. Lashing out with a now free hand, Hotaru tried to strike Ranma, but her target had already stepped sideways and back, foiling the attack. They broke apart as Ranma leapt over Hotaru's head and softly landed behind her. Without looking and almost instinctively, Hotaru swept the area behind her with her staff dissuading any attack that might have come.

"Hold," Ranma announced.

Standing six feet apart, both girls bowed to one another, held their bow for a moment before facing one another again.

"You're getting better, squirt," Ranma quipped.

"Thank you, Miss Ranma," Hotaru sang out as she pulled the padding off her body, making loud "shucking" sounds as the Velcro parted. "This is fun; I almost had you."

"Heh. Almost, squirt, almost" Ranma said. "But don't worry, you'll get there soon enough."

Tossing the staffs and padding on the ground, both girls moved as one through a series of cool down exercises. Each girl stretching and moving together as if choreographed. For a handful of minutes, the pair moved through the katas in silence, relaxing in the peaceful morning.

"Miss Ranma? You think we can make a stop on the way home?" Hotaru asked as she moved into the last of her cool downs.

"Sure. What do you have in mind?"

"Well... there's Gojunana Ice Creams on the way home," Hotaru ventured.

"Trying to slow me down by making me fat?" Quipped the redhead as they stopped stretching and started to load Hotaru's pads in an oversize gym bag. Though Ranma had put on weight over the course of the last few months, it had been in "all the right places".

Hotaru smirked. Ranma filling out had really gotten a lot of the boys' attention, but she was somewhat concerned that her nanny and friend had yet to date anyone. "Miss Ranma, you know you still have to show me that Chestnut thingy."

"Okay... but I don't want you trying it; you're not ready yet, squirt," Ranma said as she straightened. "We still have to build your ki up first."

"I know, but it's taking so long," Hotaru complained as they prepared to head out. "I'll be a sixteen year old woman before I can get that much ki."

The redhead's right eyebrow twitched a bit. "You'll get there," reassured Ranma after clearing her throat. "It takes time - it's like a muscle that needs to be exercised. Those exercises that I've had you doing have been paying off, right?"

The shorter girl nodded.

"Then have some patience," Ranma continued. "You have plenty of time. It took me years of practice to get where I am... as a matter of fact, the way you're picking things up you'll be there faster than I did."

"Really?" Hotaru beamed as she picked up her staff.

"Yup," Ranma confirmed as she lugged the stuffed gym bag to her shoulder and picked up her own staff with her free hand. "You keep this pace up and you'll get there before you know it - even when you get to be a sixteen year old woman."

"Heh," Hotaru replied as she scratched the back of her head, adding a friendly smirk on top of it.

"I mean it," Ranma smiled. "You're doing great... better than I could have hoped."

"You're just being nice," Hotaru blushed as she picked up a missed shin-guard off the grass and unzipped the shouldered bag to stuff it in; her eyes suddenly hardened. "Someone's coming," she said in a more alert voice.

Ranma smoothly swiveled around in the direction that Hotaru was looking in. Recognition of the woman faltered for a brief second. The hair and face were familiar enough, but the clothes...

A quite complimentary charcoal suit-skirt and matching jacket hung off the older woman's frame. She had on a dark green blouse and a thin ribbon tie. The shoes were dark leather and had only a slight heel. A thin black leather suitcase was held in one hand while a pair of dark sunglasses were being removed by the other.

Blinking Ranma pulled out her glasses, but the image only sharpened slightly. "Aunty?"

"Of course," Nodoka smiled in amusement. "Impressive training," she could see why Ranko would be interested in her son. Even if it was a - hopefully - _professional_ interest.

"Thank you," Ranma said coolly. "So you're going to see a client?"

"Just finished." Nodoka said as she maneuvered her hands to open a glasses case and put away her sunglasses. "I had to tell a poor man that a pair of vases he had were fake. Well one was fake." She shook her head. It was foolish to try to match a forgery to the real thing; it would have been better to simply make two fakes, that way they would have supported each other.

"Yes, it's bad when people are tricked into thinking something is something it's not," Ranma said with a curt nod.

The older woman shrugged. Sniffing out lies and frauds was part of the job. It was a shame, but that was reality. "So, how are you?"

Hotaru zipped up the bag, still shouldered on Ranma, and looked at the older woman and then to her stiff nanny.

"I'm fine," Ranma turned to Hotaru. "This is Meiou Hotaru, my charge." Despite her efforts , Ranma still beamed with pride.

"Charmed," Nodoka said with a bow. "You won't find a finer young woman to take care of you."

"I know." Hotaru said with a broad smile as she fingered her staff.

"So what brings you here?" Ranma asked as the three started walking out of the grass clearing to a group of empty benches.

Nodoka's hand clenched her briefcase. "I was in the area, and remembered what you said about this park."

"Oh?" Ranma asked as she looked to Hotaru who had worked herself between Ranma and Nodoka.

Nodoka's eyes gaze went to Hotaru before floating back to Ranma. "I've been back to Nerima since we last talked. I had lunch at that place you recommended."

Ranma stopped. "Really now? How was it?"

"The owner is a fascinating young woman," Nodoka replied, paused, then continued. "A bit unstable though."

"Unstable? Ucchan was always a good... friend." Ranma paused to think over that. She had stayed more in contact with Akane while Ukyo...

"What would you call a girl who spends years and years planning and training for revenge, only to fall hopelessly in love with the target of retribution?" Nodoka smiled happily. "I'm very pleased that my son's so _very_ manly that he can change a girl's opinion like that."

"Yeah, I guess... it did happen that way," Ranma shrugged. At the time, Ranma was too dumbfounded to think about the sudden change in Ukyo, now upon reflecting on it, she found it troubling.

"What happened?" Hotaru asked, not understanding the conversation.

"Well, Aunty has a son who's named Ranma too," Ranma explained while giving Nodoka a meaningful look. "And do you remember those stories I told you?"

Realization dawned on Hotaru. "Oh... this is, umm... Ukyo. That's the crazy chef you told me about."

"Er... Yeah... her," Ranma deflated.

"Poor girl, pushing herself to seek revenge - even to the point of swearing off her womanhood - all because of a misunderstanding," Nodoka shook her head. "What kind of father allows something like that to happen to his child?"

"But what about what Genma did? He started it."

"By accepting a gift? It was a nice yatta, but insulting to think my husband could be bribed." Nodoka knew that while it was not impossible to tempt her husband; it was never for long. He always came to his senses before doing any wrong.

Ranma paused a second to think back on the chain of events that led Ukyo to seek revenge. "It may have not been his idea, but he accepted another engagement" Ranma carefully explained. "And he took that yatta and then when he ate everything on it he left it on the side of the road."

"So says a girl who's upbringing was shaped and twisted for one purpose, revenge against my son and husband. How can we trust what she says? Could my husband not have been tricked into accepting a gift?"

"Is this the slow and dopey glasses man?" Hotaru asked Ranma as they sat down on a bench in a small pavilion

"Yeah, and he certainly can be tricked," Ranma admitted. "But you can't deny that there was an engagement."

"No I can't. Miss Kuonji is quite adamant. Of course she was too young to remember what happened back then with any clarity, and her self-indoctrination makes her most unreliable."

Ranma mulled over that, the disturbing thing was that it make a certain amount of sense. She certainly didn't remember much of that time - heck, she thought Ukyo was a guy then. "So you don't see Genma doing anything wrong here?" Ranma coldly asked.

Nodoka paused in thought. "It was probably a mistake to accept the gift - especially if he knew or suspected that Mr. Kuonji was... unstable. Which is why I doubt my husband knew," Nodoka sighed. "That's the problem, so many people seem normal and right, until you open up and trust them."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Ranma said as she put an arm around Hotaru.

"My husband does seem to attract 'friends' like that. I'm sorry to admit that Soun is among the most honorable of Genma's buddies."

Ranma cocked her head. "That's... sad."

Nodoka nodded. "It's the truth. My husband has tried to help reform them - and he always knew the best way to keep them from getting too rowdy."

"Getting them drunk?" Hotaru innocently asked as she scooted closer to Ranma.

Nodoka weakly smiled. "It doesn't sound very noble when you put it that way, but it kept them out of trouble."

"And it still happens, like with Ukyo's father." Ranma scoffed. "I don't think your husband is so innocent here."

"Oh? Were you there?" Nodoka pointedly asked.

"Well..." Ranma coughed.

"Even if you were it's not like you would have remembered. You would have been a little girl, younger than Hotaru."

The redhead frowned. Nodoka was right about that. It took Ukyo showing up and starting a fight to jog Ranma's memory - the same thing happened with Ryoga, and she had met him long after Ukyo.

"My son was there, but his memory might not be much better than poor Ukyo's. Who knows that he would think about her," Nodoka sighed.

"I - he thought Ukyo was a guy," Ranma stated weakly.

"See what I mean? Memories are tricky like that. Why would my husband engage our son to another boy? There's so much about Ukyo's story that doesn't hold water. I'm afraid my husband is the only witness I can trust."

"So it doesn't matter what happened to Ukyo?"

"Of course it matters," Nodoka said sharply. "Her life was ruined. Even if my husband had somehow tricked her father - as unlikely as that may be, that in no way excuses what Mr. Kuonji allowed to happen to his child. He had to have known what she was doing to herself, and he let it happen. Should my husband be blamed for the rash and at best uncaring actions of another man?"

"Well, he did steal the cart."

Nodoka sighed. "We're acting under the hypothetical assumption that he did, but that does not mean he is to blame for the warping of Ukyo. That this poor girl forced herself to give up her femininity and spend ten years plotting revenge." The older woman shivered

"But Genma admitted to it," Ranma said, exasperation and uncertainty mixed in her tone. "I was there when he told Ranma that Ukyo was his fiancee."

"Really now?" Nodoka asked as she leaned back into the bench. "I take it that Miss Kuonji was present?

"Yes she was - along with Akane and a whole lot of other people," Ranma replied with a nod for emphasis. "We were all in the same room when he admitted to it."

Nodoka sat, deep in thought for a moment before slowly nodding her head. "Then that makes sense then. It is just like Genma to say something like that to keep the situation from escalating."

"Huh?" Ranma asked, caught flatfooted by Nodoka's response. Hotaru still sat between them, leaning on her staff that was still in hand, taking the entire conversation in.

"It's very obvious," Nodoka explained in an almost teacher-like way and began ticking off points with her fingers. "He was confronting someone who is unstable, who had mistakenly set out on a mission of revenge, who was also displaying unreasonable and violent tendencies and surrounded by many bystanders in an enclosed environment." She paused for affect as Ranma digested what was said. "In such a case, it is far better to try and defuse the situation by calming and placating the person before some innocent bystander got injured."

Cocking her head, Ranma recalled the incident in the P.E. equipment room when she had confronted Ukyo and how it quickly filled up with curious students. If a melee had broken out in such a confined space with that many people...

"Feeding her delusions was not the best thing for my husband to do," Nodoka continued as she leaned forward to better view the redhead on the other side of Hotaru. "But it was probably the only solution he could come up with at the time with the possibility of others being endangered."

Ranma shook her head. Nodoka was making too much sense and it was frightening. "What did Ukyo say to all of this?" Ranma asked.

"We never really talked about the details of her and Ranma's reunion," Nodoka replied, then she narrowed her eyes. "Her attitude did change very quickly when she learned who I was."

"Did you tell her that you didn't approve of her engagement claim?"

Nodoka smiled. "It didn't come up."

"It didn't?" Ranma asked in surprise. She assumed that Ukyo would press her claim upon her mother.

"No, I kept her focused on what had happened all those years ago," Nodoka explained. "You had concerns and discovering the nature of Miss Kuonji's claim was paramount. It is clear now that the poor girl is _slightly_ delusional and suffering from neglect from her family."

Ranma shook her head. "So you're saying that Genma's admission was all a lie?" Ranma asked, controlling the doubt that tried to leak into her voice.

Nodoka smiled slightly. "It may not sound... traditionally honorable, but it kept the situation under control. And what could he do with such a rash and disturbed young woman?"

Ranma paused. It made sense. Nodoka's conclusions were logical, rational and reasonable - if one accepted a certain view of Genma. "So he lied to save others... and probably himself."

"And my son, he was the target of her revenge too," Nodoka reminded. "How could he know that Ukyo would do a one-eighty like that."

"I see," Ranma leaned back and rubbed Hotaru's back. It was amazing. Her mother was being rational, logical, and understanding, but still wrong. "It really is hard to find the truth isn't it?"

"When talking to unstable and deluded people?" Nodoka laughed slightly. "It certainly is."

"So Ukyo did not convince you," Ranma surmised.

"Quite the contrary, there is very strong evidence to the honor and immense manliness of my son." Nodoka looked into the distance wistfully.

"I guess changing Ucchan's mind like that was a big feat," Ranma allowed as she idly cleaned her glasses.

Nodoka nodded and then sighed. "It was also another case of my husband making well-intentioned efforts that are snarled by the caliber of his... associates. It's a shame that his actions ended up making that poor girl's delusions worse, but what could he do?"

"Ukyo does sound like a moody girl," Hotaru agreed as she studied the older woman's face. The thoughtful intensity Nodoka had was... disturbing.

"Did you talk to Mr. Tendo?" Ranma asked as she replaced her glasses. She wanted to move the conversation away from Ukyo. That well had gone dry.

"Yes, it was impressive. He managed to keep his story up."

"Story? So you know he's hiding something? About your husband?" Ranma asked with a bit of shock.

"Of course he's hiding something," Nodoka had to keep herself from rolling her eyes. "I'm sure Soun did something wrong and my husband is trying to fix his mess... again."

"Sorry Aunty, but this time Genma's in it as much Soun and Nabiki are," Ranma countered.

"Genma's always joined Soun in one crazy idea or the other, doing his best to keep Soun out of trouble. He would do his upmost to... minimize the damage."

Ranma turned her head. That excuse would almost work, if not for what those three had done for Mr. Huang. "No Aunty, not this time. I was there - it's part of why I left."

"Oh?" Nodoka asked. "You're saying my husband took the initiative on-" she looked to Hotaru. "-events?"

"Well... not really. Soun and Nabiki were more advanced, but he wasn't just going along with things."

"I'll have to talk with my husband to sort that out," Nodoka said stiffly.

"Because you can't trust Mr. Tendo," Hotaru noted.

"I see how this goes," Ranma smirked at her mother. "You're being logical. You need evidence."

"Is that so wrong to ask for?" Nodoka asked.

"Not at all," Hotaru said in a distant voice as she swiveled her head and stared at Nodoka. "But you are keeping things discrete, right?" Her hands clenched. "No one knows that you've been having these meetings, correct?"

Nodoka looked at the little girl for a long time. For a brief moment she appeared much _older_ than normal. "No, of course not. Confidentiality is critical to both my professional and... personal life."

As silence enveloped the three, Ranma pondered the events that had led her to where she was and tried to guess at what rationalizations that Nodoka could come up with. to explain them. Without a doubt, she could sit there and cite example after example of Genma's misdeeds all afternoon and Nodoka would find a way to rationalize why they happened the way they did. Sitting back and resting against the back of the bench, Ranma absently continued to rub Hotaru's back and tried to think of a way to convince her estranged mother that not all was how she saw it.

"What kind of evidence would you need?" Ranma asked carefully. "The police are investigating, what would you do if Genma was caught in it?"

"Then I would have to ask the officer in charge what kind of evidence they had," Nodoka answered. "I'm sure that any possible indictment of my husband would not go very far. Police will need a lot of evidence before they even begin to make an arrest, especially given Soun's position on the town council." Nodoka paused and frowned.

Ranma sat and pondered.

_"Evidence,"_ Ranma mentally concluded. _"She needs overwhelming evidence."_

"You know that Genma has been hiding from you," Ranma announced suddenly.

"I gathered as much from Soun's demeanor," Nodoka said thoughtfully.

Ranma blinked. Once again her mother had thrown her a curveball. "So you... know?"

"Your employer is encouraging this investigation is she not?" Nodoka asked.

"Well yeah. They've been building the case for a couple weeks."

The older woman's shoulders sagged. "Then it's obvious, my husband has distanced himself with our son of course. Once again I worry."

"Huh?"

"As I said, the police do not work against shadows, they will only arrest when they are sure they will get a confession or enough evidence to get a conviction without." Nodoka's hands nervously tapped her briefcase.

"You're worried? You know Genma's a crook!"

Nodoka turned her eyes and glared at the younger redhead. "What I know is that the police are eagerly investigating a minor politician with a colored past. A small fish that happens to be a close friend of my overly-trusting husband. Yes, I'm worried."

"He sounds like a bad man to me," Hotaru noted.

Nodoka smiled weakly. "My husband should cooperate, I hope he has the sense to, and that is why he is hiding, not just from me, but from Soun."

"You... you think he's testifying to the police against Soun?" Ranma asked the disbelieve dripping on her voice.

"I know, one finds it hard to believe, but we both know sometimes... people will hold secrets, even from those they're closest to."

Ranma looked to Hotaru and coughed. "You can't... would he betray... no Genma's part of this."

"I know you don't think much of my husband, but he is a survivor. He will make it through this." Nodoka's eyes flickered down briefly. "Any way he can." She reached out and patted Ranma's hand. "He raised my son, and you know how adaptive and strong he is."

"It just seems... unbelievable," Ranma flatly said.

"Yes, but as I said, the police would have stopped by now if there wasn't something there. I'm as aghast as you." Nodoka squeezed Ranma's hand. "I thought Soun was one of Genma's better friends, and now what... those poor girls of his."

"So now you think Soun's some criminal mastermind?"

Nodoka snickered then burst into laughter. "Oh my, no," she said once she regained some composure. "You don't need to be smart to break the law. No, if there is something to this case, I'm sure Soun's a patsy. He always was, but he still should have known better."

Ranma blinked. That sounded exactly like what Huang had done. He was the mastermind and Soun, Genma, and Nabiki were all taken in. "That's... perceptive," Ranma allowed.

"It's just looking at the evidence, logically."

"Right," Ranma sadly remarked. "What if... what if Genma wasn't being honorable here? What if he was... misguided? Maybe he took your son and ran? What if he's protecting Soun, it is noble to stick with a friend no matter what."

Nodoka sighed. "You don't think that hasn't entered my mind? I know my husband." The older woman frowned. "He'll do what he thinks is best."

Pity grew in Ranma. "I didn't mean..." She paused and the sympathy for her father vanished. "No, I did. Look, you know he's not perfect. If he gets convicted? Will that be the evidence you need?"

"That won't happen, and even... even _if _it did, what will it prove?" Nodoka shook her head in disbelief. "Assuming it's on the level and that he's not making some _noble_ sacrifice... again. That all the slanders about him are true? It'll prove that I've married a fraud, a con man. That I've been making excuses for him; that I've been covering him; that I've been fooled by him; that I've been his longest running mark?" She laughed sharply, but Ranma noticed her eyes dart about. Nodoka picked up her briefcase, stood and smoothed her coat.

"Well... not.. not like that," Ranma demurred.

"It can't be that way," Nodoka said her voice once again pleasant, even slightly amused. "You'll see, my husband is doing the right thing."

The older women glanced at her watch and stood up. "Dear me, I really must be going." She warmly smiled at Hotaru and Ranma. "It was lovely meeting you, see you both later."

"Uh bye, it was good seeing you too," Ranma said, a bit awkwardly.

Hotaru watched the older woman walk away. "So what's with your... Aunty? She knows her husband's a bad man, right?" she asked once Nodoka was out of earshot.

"I don't know, I really don't." Ranma admitted.

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The multistory mall was packed and rivers of shoppers, mostly teens, moved from one store to the next. From the third floor, Ranma hugged the rail and looked down into the open spaces that were formed by a courtyard of sorts all the way down to the ground floor. She was eyeing the lingerie shop that was shoehorned between a shoe store and a upscale dress shop.

Looking like any other school-girl on a Saturday afternoon, Ranma blended in the with crowd and watched the top of the head of one person in particular as she stood in front of a lingerie store and looked at the goods on display. Ranma stood and watched as Akane entered the shop with little hesitation.

Sighing softly to herself, Ranma looked about the surrounding crowds around on her level and the crowd directly below her, making doubly sure that Akane wasn't followed. A face in the crowd proved otherwise.

"Damn," Ranma swore to herself as she spied Nabiki just below were she was standing. Eyes narrowing, she watched as Nabiki placed what looked like a PDA type of device back into her purse. Lips firming, Ranma fought the surprising urge to leap down to the floor below and beat the living crap out of the one Tendo who had screwed her life up more than her father was capable of doing. Taking a controlled, calming breath, Ranma instead opted for a safer tack.

_"Can't get rid of her without giving myself away. Damn," _Ranma thought as her eyes darted about. _"Gotta go with plan B." _

Moving away from the railing, Ranma mingled with the crowd and flowed along with it - and froze. On the same floor, across from where she was standing, Ranma spied a shock of purple hair.

"Just great," she swore to herself. "Nabiki follows Akane, and Shampoo follows Nabiki."

Thankfully the Chinese Amazon was so intent on watching Nabiki that she failed to notice everyone else around her. Slipping back into the crowd, Ranma continued on until she reached the escalators. After making sure she was out of sight of Nabiki and Shampoo, she rode to the ground floor. Once there, Ranma then proceeded to the ladies room and instead of entering, passed through double doors marked "Authorized Personnel Only" and followed the slightly twisting service hallway.

Eventually, she ended up in front of a door with stacks of boxes on either side. The door was marked with the name of the lingerie store. Stealthfully she tried the door and, as expected, it was locked.

Sighing, she sized up the door like an opponent. "There's no other way," she concluded as she clenched her fist and drew it back, pausing to gather her strength, her fist shot forward and knocked on the door loudly.

After a short wait, an older, tall and slender saleswoman answered. "Yes? Wha- You're not supposed to be here, this is for mall employees only," she scolded the redhead.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Ranma politely said in false ignorance while laying on the charm. "But I got turned around when I went to use the ladies room and now I'm really, really lost. Can you help me please?"

The saleswoman regarded the demure young woman with a curious eye before softening. "All right, just this once. Next time pay better attention to where you're at and where you're going," she scolded.

The saleswoman led Ranma through the back of the store, past the counter and onto the sales floor. "Thank you so much," Ranma said politely as she bowed to her savior.

The woman gave a noncommittal grunt and went to tend to a customer. Ranma ignored the frilly underthings for sale and headed toward a rack of bras off to one side, near the back. Standing there was one of the few people from her old life she could trust.

"Hey Akane!" She called out.

"Ranma!" Akane replied with a slight grin. "What took you? I was beginning to wonder."

"You were followed," Ranma said as she flipped though the rack of lacy bras for the sake of appearances; they were all too small for her. "I had to get in through the back."

"I was?" Akane asked, clearly surprised. "But I was so careful."

"I'm sure your were," Ranma said offhandedly. "I noticed that Shampoo was not following you, but trailing Nabiki. I think she put something on you to follow you; I saw her looking at some electronic thingy."

Akane blinked a few times, as she thought. "I can't see how..." then her voice trailed off.

Ranma noticed this. "Akane? What's up?"

Akane began to dig through her purse and produced a compact. "I knew I should have asked her why she gave this back to me," Akane exclaimed. "She never gives anything back that she steals."

Both girls examined the compact carefully. "I don't see anything special about it," Ranma said.

"Doesn't matter," Akane said. "As small as they make those things now-a-days, it could be fitted into the hinge."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to get rid of it, that's what," Akane said sharply. "And then I'm going to have some words with my 'dear sister'."

"Wait," Ranma said as she took the compact from Akane. "Let's keep this quiet - okay?"

"Ranma?"

"No - listen, let's use this to lose Nabiki and Shampoo and when Nabiki asks you about your compact just tell her that you lost it while shopping," Ranma explained.

"But why?" Akane asked, somewhat frustrated.

"The more you let on that you know what's going on, the more pressure your sister and our fathers will put on you. Stay aware, but don't let on what you really know," Ranma firmly said. "Do you understand?"

Akane opened her mouth to say something but ended up just nodding.

"Okay, give me a minute," the redhead said as she slipped away from Akane and pretended to look at some garter belts. She eased behind a group of giggling teenage girls and surreptitiously slipped Akane's compact into one of the group's shopping bags. She then worked her way back to where Akane was waiting.

"What did you do?" Akane asked.

"Just making sure that we'll have the chance to get away," Ranma asked distractedly. She was watching the gaggle of girls gather up their shopping bags and head for the door.

"C'mon, let's see if this is going to work."

Carefully watching, Ranma pointed out to where Nabiki was standing on the next floor up. She looked rather bored and out of place as she obviously eyed the shop that Akane had entered. Ranma and Akane waited as the minutes ticked by.

"You'll think she'll ever leave?" Ranma hissed. She was determined to tell Akane everything today, no matter the interruptions.

"You know Nabiki when it comes to money..."

"C'mon Nabiki, check that thing-ama-jig," Ranma urged, even though there was no way for Nabiki to hear.

However, as if on cue, Nabiki reached into her purse and took out the device that Ranma spied earlier and looked at it. The surprised look on her face was priceless and she tried to quickly move through the thick crowd in the direction that the group of girls had moved off to. Akane made a move to the entrance of the shop, only to be stopped by Ranma's hand on her shoulder.

"Wha- I thought you wanted to get away," Akane exclaimed.

"I do. I'm just giving Shampoo time to keep up with your sister," Ranma replied.

A few moments later, both girls were at the opposite end of the mall, in a small boutique that sold cosplay costumes and accessories. The air was filled with an odd mixture of flowery perfume and latex; so much so that it stung Ranma's nose. Akane drifted midway into the store and looked at Ranma as she stared into the heart of the mall.

"You think we lost them?" she asked.

Nodding, Ranma turned to face Akane. "Yes, but it would be a good idea to get out of the mall all together."

Akane nodded in agreement.

"And Akane... er," Ranma stammered a bit, before finding her backbone. "We need to talk."

Soon the pair were crossing a windy street, heading away from the mall and the threat of discovery on Ranma's part. In mid crossing, the wind was such that both girls felt the need to hold down their skirts to keep them from billowing upward. Though the action was automatic, Akane noted that Ranma seemed to be more responsive in preserving her modesty than she was just a few short eight months ago. The hint at something more that was happening with her ex-fiancee surfaced, only to be pushed aside as another gust of wind threatened to expose more than she wanted.

Threading their way through the busy sidewalks, Ranma led Akane to a small cafe with an Italian theme. Once inside the noisy cafe, both had to pause at the door to allow their eyes to adjust to the dim interior. The smell of Italian spices and cheeses teased their senses, making their faint hunger grow into something substantial. Ranma took Akane by the hand and together they wormed their way to the back of the cafe, there they found and claimed a booth that was the furthest from the door. The lack of windows made Ranma feel more secure against being spotted, but also cut off possible avenues of escape if she was.

Relaxing into opposite sides of a U-shaped booth, Akane watched as Ranma removed a compact from her purse and straightened the few stray locks of curled hair that had become dislodged. After satisfying herself that everything was back in place she neatly closed the compact and replaced it into her purse.

Akane was studying Ranma's movements, as she had been doing over the last several months, and couldn't help but notice the changes in her ex-fiancee; Ranma's behavior had become less forced and more... natural. Ever since the kimono store Ranma had seemed... well, like one of the girls.

It was the little things like this that made her ill at ease; it was getting harder for her to see the boy that she once knew in the girl in front of her now. As it stood she had known the girl longer than the boy.

"I'm sorry this place is no Green Mountain," Ranma said as she rummaged through her purse.

"It's okay, really." Akane shook her head. "So," Akane began, shaking herself from her observations. "What do you want to talk about?"

Ranma started to look real uncomfortable for a moment, before firming her lips up. "It's about... us."

It was as if the din in the cafe had disappeared as both young women stared at one another. Akane had expected this and knew Ranma was driving at, but waited for the redhead to continue. When Ranma was not forthcoming, she prompted. "What about us?"

Ranma hesitated. In her mind she had rehearsed what she was going to say and how she was going to say it a dozen times. Now faced with the reality of actually speaking with Akane, Ranma found herself emotionally floundering.

"_I got to do this," _she mentally scolded herself. "_I can't string Akane along like this... it isn't right."_

"Akane, a lot has changed in the last-" but before she could continue, a waitress came up and interrupted.

"Hello, my name is Hitomi, I'll be your server today," the college-age woman said in a slightly robotic way. "Can I start you girls out with anything to drink or some appetizers?"

"Umm...," Ranma verbally staggered before finding her mental footing. "Yes. Two cokes and some breadsticks please," she managed out smoothly, looking up at the waitress. She then focused on the girl seated across from her. "How hungry are you?"

Akane blinked, then shrugged. "I haven't really eaten today," she replied. "I left early to get away from my sister... so I skipped breakfast."

"Okay," Ranma said merrily before looking up at the waitress again. "Two lasagnas - trust me Akane, you're going to love it - and could we have the breadsticks first?"

"Yes ma'am," the waitress replied as she jotted down the order. "I'll be right back with your drinks and breadsticks."

Alone again, Ranma sighed and refocused on the task at hand. God, she hated herself.

"Akane.. you're my friend - probably the best friend I've ever had," Ranma stated in a careful way that tried to cover for her fraying nerves. "I need to tell you something."

"Okay," Akane stated, hesitantly. The word 'friend' stood out in Akane's mind. Ranma was going to say it.

Ranma sighed heavily as she looked down as the table top. "Akane..."

"Yes?" Akane ventured, feeling a bit uneasy at Ranma's hesitance. The suspense was killing her. Though young, she had recognized the signs a while ago and knew that this was coming.

"Akane, have you ever thought of what would happen after... well, if our fathers were ever successful at getting us married?"

Akane blinked at the question, then batted in around a bit in her head. "Yes," she finally answered.

"Did you see anything good coming from it? Keep in mind how our fathers are," Ranma pointed out.

"I would - I would have liked to think that things would have worked out, but after the stunt that Nabiki pulled... not to mention the stunts your father pulled," she paused and look away, into the main part of the cafe. "And how you have changed... I don't know what to believe anymore." She wished Ranma would stop beating around the bush, but let her friend do it. Obviously, Ranma needed this.

Relieved a bit that Akane had not gone ballistic, Ranma schooled herself. She was about to go on, but stopped as the waitress brought out their drinks and breadsticks. Waiting until after the waitress was gone, Ranma idly picked up a breadstick and took a bite. Sizing up Akane, Ranma noted the almost bored and impatient look on her face.

"Akane, I... care about you," Ranma then paused. "No, I love you - but only as a friend. Between your dad and my dad's stupidity, I don't think it would've ever worked out. Hell, I'll go as far as saying that I didn't think we would've ever really had a chance."

Numbly, Akane nodded. Though she knew that Ranma was echoing her own thoughts, it was still hard to hear it aloud. The blow was softened by the months of separation. They had met often during that time, but it was like two girlfriends getting together than... possible lovers. She had even started to think of Ranma as her ex-fiance.

Ranma's words came as and expected relief. than Akane knew things were never going to be the same again. She sat there in silence for a moment, regarding the - woman - in front of her. "So... what now?" She asked plainly.

"I would like to have you as a friend Akane," Ranma said as she offered a breadstick to her. She was much relieved when Akane accepted and even took a bite. "I don't have too many friends... friends that know me as well as you do. I could really use more in my life and I thought maybe... you wouldn't mind?"

Swallowing her bite of breadstick, Akane paused to take a long sip of her drink. This gave her time to think of how to respond. "I think... I saw this coming Ranma," she finally said. "I mean, like you said, a lot has changed."

Ranma remained silent.

"When you started acting this way - like a... girl," Akane fumbled about, "it was just that: An act. Now you're..." she broke off and stared at the breadstick in her hand for a moment.

Ranma, having learned patience from dealing with Hotaru, waited quietly for Akane to gather her thoughts.

"It's like the act isn't an act anymore," Akane finally continued. "It's like you were never really a boy."

Lost on how to respond, Ranma stared at the dark blue-haired girl. Seconds ticked by as she tried to think of what to say; more importantly how she felt. "I know," Ranma said softly. "I don't know when it happened... it just seemed to."

A silence fell between the two, it was neither an awkward or comfortable one.

"So... are you a girl now?" Akane asked from across the table.

"I...," Ranma began, only to stop. Seconds dragged onto minutes before Akane prompted.

"Ranma?"

"I know I'm more comfortable like I am," Ranma conceded, then paused. "I don't know if the curse has anything to do with it - but I'm happier and more in control of my life than I ever had been. It may be a coincidence... I don't know..." Ranma voice drifted off before picking up again. "I can't see myself as a total girl, though - I mean, I can't think of guys in 'that way'."

Internally, Akane found some sense of relief in that last statement. "So, how do you see yourself?"

Ranma scrunched up her face as she wore a look of thoughtfulness, the look made her look adorable. After several seconds, Ranma replied. "I haven't exactly figured that out myself - yet. But it'll come to me in time."

Silence fell between the two. It was like neither one really wanted to know what the real answer to that question was.

"I'm sure... I'm sure it will," Akane sighed, sadly.

Ranma blushed. "I'm sorry, but..."

"No I'm not mad at you. You've changed. We've changed. You're right. I think of you as a girl too." Akane chewed her lip.

"What then?"

"I've been seeing policemen," Akane remarked. "I think so at least. There have been strange vans parked around. Kasumi says that there are rumors of a suspected spy ring with all the questions the neighbors are being asked."

"I bet Nabiki's crawling up the walls," Ranma smirked.

"Are you kidding? She can't see anything other than the carrot Huang's dangling in front of her nose." Akane smirked. People seemed to overestimate Nabiki's initiative, her older sister was actually quite lazy, especially about things she didn't think were important.

"So what's the matter? Huang and this mess will be cleared up."

"Yeah? And you can come back?" Akane laughed. "After Daddy and Nabiki and your father are... what in jail? Fined? What do you think will happen? You don't need to come back; you don't need any of us. Do you get it? You won. You're free!"

Ranma frowned. "You're jealous?"

"Of course. You have it made: this perfect job, plenty of money, great friends, your art, even a pretty fashion sense."

"But my mother. I never..."

"Wow, so worst case scenario you lose her, and only have dim childhood memories to remember her by." Akane scowled. "Join the club."

"I didn't," Ranma slumped back and held her hand over her eyes. "I'm sorry... I've been selfish."

"Least there's a tiny bit of that macho jerk still under all those curls," Akane gently teased. She scooted around the curvature of the booth until she was next to Ranma.  
"It's not your fault," she reassured with a hug. "You've only done what you had too."

Ranma blinked away some tears before pulling her hand away.

"I'm not saying you should have stayed, or that you shouldn't have called the cops." Akane sighed. "It's just... I sometimes wish I had gone with you, or just left at all."

"Don't feel guilty," Ranma said hugging her friend back. "Where would I be without my tomboy friend?"

"You'd probably be feminized by your other two friends?" Akane smirked as she slid back to her end of the table.

"I'm the one growing out a nice perm," Ranma reminded as she ate her breadstick.

"True," Akane paused. "So how's things with Kimiko? Did you get some ex-girlfriends to talk with her about him?"

"Yes, we did," Ranma chuckled. "She seems to have cooled on him, but..."

"He's a smooth talker?"

"Even girls can be dumb."

"Here you go," Hitomi suddenly said, announcing the arrival of their food. The waitress placed a plate in front of each girl and refreshed the drinks. "Will there be anything else?"

"No... no thank you," Ranma said. "I think we'll be fine for a while."

"This is... lasagna?" Akane asked while studying the concoction in front of her.

"It's good... trust me," Ranma said as she cut herself a piece off and plopped it in her mouth.

"I'm surprised to hear that Shampoo was following Nabiki," Akane said quietly while examining her plate. The food was interesting and smelled good. "I've only seen her and her grandmother a few times after you left... now it seems that Cologne and Mousse have disappeared all together."

"Really?" Ranma said as she cut off a bite of her lasagna. It was nowhere near what Setsuna had treated her too, but it would do.

"Yes, I'm not sure what's going on – I've been avoiding the Cat Cafe since you left, but my friends at school that still go there told me something about Shampoo being left behind or something," Akane explained while copying Ranma's actions.

Ranma thought while chewing. "I'm surprised..." she said after finishing.

"Yes," Akane paused to sip at her soda; the lasagna was unexpectedly good. "I was really expecting them to make more of a pest of themselves, but they haven't even bothered me at all."

"Maybe they have and you never realized it," Ranma pointed out. "Did you ever wake up with your hair feeling oddly refreshed?"

Frowning, Akane was deep in thought, exploring her memories. "I... don't...," she paused a moment. "I'm not really sure," she admitted. "But I see what you mean."

Taking a sip of her own drink, Ranma absently nodded. "I wouldn't be surprised if they'd questioned you while you were asleep," she commented. "All you really know is a phone number." Then it was Ranma's turn to pause in thought. "You know, I'm surprised that they didn't kidnap you and then call my number to draw me out."

Akane blinked at that. Kidnapping would be right up the Amazon's alley and was something that they were prone to do. She sat and puzzled over the fact that they hadn't tried that. "It is... odd," Akane admitted.

"What do you make of what your friends told you?" Ranma asked suddenly.

With firm lips, Akane though for a moment. "I think that Cologne and Mousse are either still looking for you or went back to China."

"What makes you think that they went back to China?"

"I don't know," Akane replied with a shrug. "All I know that no one has seen either one in about a month or more."

"Then why leave Shampoo behind?" mused Ranma aloud.

"Who knows?" Akane said somewhat irritably. "They never really played with a full deck – if you know what I mean; the Amazons never had the same rules as the rest of the world."

Nodding in agreement, Ranma said, "I'll be happy as long as I don't ever have to mess with them and their crazy laws ever again."

A creepy feeling passed over Ranma. "You know... outside of you and my mom, I haven't run across anyone that I knew from Nerima... I mean, I haven't even seen Ryoga."

"Ryoga," Akane spat. "Don't even mention him."

Rearing back in her seat at the tone in Akane's voice, Ranma stared back at Akane. "What... happened?"

"I found out that Ryoga was P-chan," Akane said darkly as she picked at her lasagna. "And after confronting him he had the gall to try and blame you for it."

"Er... imagine that," Ranma muttered.

"Yes, he said you did it to him and then covered it up," Akane scoffed.

"That's a lie; he tried it on me too," Ranma grumbled.

"Well, I sent him packing to Akari's."

"Who?"

"Oh.. yeah, you were gone when that happened," Akane said after taking another bite of lasagna; it tasted really good. "It's a long story, but Akari is a pig farmer that raises sumo-wrestling pigs..."

"Sumo... wrestling... pigs... ?" Ranma drawled out incredulously.

"No more weirder than Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics, or Martial Arts Tea Ceremony," Akane pointed out.

"Right," Ranma agreed. "So what happened?"

"Well, Akari's grandfather told her to marry a strong man," Akane explained. "So she sent her Sumo pig out to beat up a bunch of men to find one and - well, Ryoga beat her prize pig in a fight and because of that, she fell in love with him-"

"BWAHAHAHAHAHA!" Ranma roared before covering her mouth, bringing her laughter down to tolerable levels. The other patrons glared at the redhead for disturbing their meals. "Sorry..." she wheezed out while waving her hands around as a form of apology. "It's just good to hear someone else being chased by a girl for a stupid reason."

Akane waited patiently for Ranma to stop giggling and had to stop herself a few times from joining her. The humor was infectious and the mirthful look in Ranma's eyes wasn't helping.

"Anyway," Akane continued with a roll of her eyes; this was too much like talking to her girlfriends back home. "They've had an on-again, off-again relationship. Well Akari is a sweet girl and she was determined to win that jerk Ryoga over."

"So now he's got girls after him and has stupid crap to deal with?" Ranma smiled; it was fun to hear gossip, especially when this nonsense was no longer happening to her.

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"Ranma, I'm going to be back later than usual today," Setsuna informed Ranma.

"Oh?" Ranma asked as she cleaned up the breakfast dishes. "Is there anything the matter?"

"Not really," the green-hair woman replied. "I have to go to the Tokyo Bay Observatory to watch the solar eclipse."

"Can I go?" Hotaru asked, her voice laced with excitement, as she helped Ranma with the dishes. It was a full eclipse, and she really wanted to see it, but her teachers were not about to let their students out for a mere celestial event.

"You have school," Setsuna replied with a gentle smile.

"It's only one day," Hotaru half-whined.

"C'mon squirt," Ranma said. "There will be other times."

"Oh poop," Hotaru said as she followed Ranma into the kitchen. "It's not fair."

"Well, life's not fair; believe me, I know that first hand," Ranma commented as she placed the dirty dishes into the sink for later washing. "You get use to it after a while."

Inside, Ranma wished that she could do something for Hotaru; the little girl had been looking so forward to it.

_"I'm going to miss it too," _Ranma lamented to herself. Not that she was interested in the eclipse at first, but after hearing Hotaru's excited descriptions of what an eclipse was, she made it sound like it was going to be a wondrous sight to behold.

"At least we'll get to see it on the news tonight," Ranma offered.

"It's not the same," Hotaru replied.

"I know. I'm sorry," Ranma said sincerely. "But we both have school... maybe something else interesting will happen to make up for it."

"I hope so."

Ranma regarded her charge for a few heartbeats. The disappointed look on Hotaru's was touching; Ranma knew she couldn't let Hotaru feel down.

"Tell you what," Ranma said with a grin, "how about I start you on the basics of ki manipulation when we get home tonight?"

Eyes alight, Hotaru looked up at her nanny. "You will?" She asked, thrilled.

"Sure," Ranma replied as she draped an arm across the smaller girl, leading them to the living room. "You've been working hard, it about time to notch up your training a bit."

"Will I be able throw those cool balls of ki like you can?"

"Er... giving time... and practice - yeah," Ranma responded. "But first-"

"I know: The basics," Hotaru interrupted. Ranma was always obsessed with making sure Hotaru had the basics down on anything that she taught her. Though Hotaru knew she needed to start with the fundamentals, she was always eager to jump ahead.

"Right," Ranma agreed heartily.

Returning to the living room, Ranma addressed her employer and good friend. "Would you like me to have dinner ready at a certain time?" Ranma asked Setsuna.

"No, that won't be necessary," the green-haired women replied as she headed for the door. "You two eat without me, I'll grab something to eat while I'm out."

Sharing a look, Ranma's heart skipped a beat. Setsuna seemed to hesitate also, as if there was something else she wanted to say. "I'll see both of you tonight," Setsuna finally said at the door.

"Bye Momma," Hotaru said as she ran up and gave a hug for good measure.

Setsuna smiled down at her daughter before looking up at Ranma. Though there was a connection that had been building between the two over the course of the last few weeks, Setsuna had been reluctant to really get too involved with her nanny. Ranma had quite enough on her plate without anymore needless complications.

"See you tonight," Setsuna settled for a goodbye.

Ranma merely smiled and nodded in reply. Life and emotions were getting frighteningly confusing. As the door closed behind the green-haired woman, Ranma pushed any distracting thoughts aside and started in on the task of readying Hotaru and herself for the day.

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Mathematics was a boring subject, but Ranma persevered. Sticking with something until you get it right was something that she learned from years of martial arts practice. It was unfortunate that she never applied that creed to anything else outside of that - that until Hotaru taught her. It didn't make the subject matter more interesting, but it did mean that Ranma was learning.

Halfway through the class, Ranma felt a wave of weakness pass through her. It was like suddenly she did not get enough sleep the night before. She looked out the window to look at the darkened landscape and chided herself for getting sleepy just because it got a bit dark. Forcing herself past the fatigue she felt, Ranma focused on the lessons that the teacher was giving; explaining how to find "x" on the chalkboard. From her book bag that was hanging on it's hook on her desk, she heard a single, quiet "ding-dong".

Ranma knew two things at that moment: One, it was her cellphone and two, no one would call her at this time of day unless it was an emergency. Standing, fighting the sense of dizziness that followed, Ranma excused herself from the class and stepped into the hallway, book bag in hand. Reaching inside, she extracted her cellphone and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Miss Saotome?"

"Yes?"

"This is Ikari, principal of Gaiden Home," the voice on the telephone said. "Hotaru passed out in class-"

"Is she all right?" Ranma interrupted.

"Yes, she seems fine now, but we think it would be best if she went home for the rest of the day," Ikari said. "We tried to contact her guardian, Miss Meioh, but we couldn't reach her."

"Set- Miss Meioh is doing some research, she's over at the Tokyo Bay Observatory for the eclipse," Ranma explained. "She's probably turned off her cellphone to not be disturbed."

"I see...," Ikari said in a thoughtful tone.

"I'll be there as soon as I can to pick her up," Ranma continued. "As soon as I inform my class."

"Thank you," a much relieved voice said. "Hotaru will be waiting for you in the nurse's office."

Shutting the cellphone, Ranma quickly did what needed to be done and was gone.

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"But I feel fine now," Hotaru protested in a small voice as the pair entered the apartment.

"I know, I know," Ranma patiently replied. "But the school is worried that you might be coming down with something," she said while mentally adding, "_and I'm worried too." _

"What about your classes?" Hotaru pointed out.

"I got it covered, squirt," Ranma answered as she took Hotaru's book bag and set it with hers next to the entryway. "Kimiko and Nami are going to give me a copy of their notes and any assignments that I might have missed."

"Oh..."

"And I talked to your teacher before I picked you up, so you won't miss anything either," Ranma concluded motheringly.

"Oh," Hotaru said with an odd mixture of disappointment and approval. She yawned grandly.

"Why don't you go lie down in your room?" Ranma suggested, feeling somewhat fatigued herself.

"But I'm not tired," Hotaru complained before yawning again. Ranma, not being able to stop herself, mirrored the younger girl's yawn.

"If you lay down and rest, I'll show you something new for karate," Ranma bribed, not wanting to fight Hotaru's emerging stubborn streak.

"You will?" Hotaru asked, wide-eyed.

"Promise," Ranma replied with a 'cross her heart' motion with her hand. "You don't even have to sleep, just rest."

"Well... okay," Hotaru reluctantly agreed.

Five minutes later Ranma peeked in on her charge and found Hotaru sprawled out across the top of her bed, softly snoring. Entering the room while shaking her head, Ranma crept closer to the sleeping girl. Looking down on Hotaru, Ranma couldn't help but note just how cute she was when she was asleep.

_"Like a little angel," _Ranma thought.

Grasping the blankets that Hotaru had kicked to the end of the bed, Ranma covered the girl. Hotaru responded by rolling over onto her side and giving a soft, contented sigh while snugging further into the blankets. Ranma smiled and felt internally warm and fuzzy about it.

_"She really is cute," _Ranma mused as she drew her hand over Hotaru's forehead, feeling for a sign of a fever and being relieved at finding none. Seeing that Hotaru was resting peacefully, Ranma claimed the chair at Hotaru's desk with the intent of watching over her for a while. Soon fatigue revisited Ranma as she yawned and stretched. Ranma rubbed her eyes. _"She's not the only one that's tired."_

Laying her head on the desk in such a way that she could still see Hotaru, Ranma drifted off into a deep slumber.

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Unlocking and entering her apartment, Setsuna tossed her keys onto the small alcove and kicked off her shoes. Her day ended sooner than expected and not on a good note either. It had started out well enough at Tokyo Bay Observatory as the eclipse began, that had changed rapidly as the Moon began to move across the disk of the Sun. That was when Setsuna felt something...

_"It was like a ripple or... a wave in the fabric of space," _she reflected on the moment. Whatever foreboding she felt as the body of the Moon ate away at the Sun, dimming the sky, it was nothing as to what came next.

During the second stage, when the eclipse was at it's height, the foreboding exploded into a force that slapped Setsuna's senses. It overwhelmed and smothered Setsuna, making her miss the eclipse - she didn't know it was over with until one of the astronomers asked her what she thought of it. Drenched in her own sweat, Setsuna felt as if darkness had touched the Earth - and it wasn't as harmless as the Moon's shadow.

_"It was definitely a distortion in the space continuum," _Setsuna thought as she continued to fuss over today's events. She recalled the panic she felt at the thought of something from another dimension crossed over into hers - and her futile attempt at investigating what was going on. "_I wonder if that was the reason I couldn't transform?"_

Worrying at the apparent loss of her powers, Setsuna made her way deeper into apartment. Shaking her head, making her long hair swish, Setsuna picked up the phone, paused, then set it back down. _"I left messages," _she thought to herself. _"I just have to be patient. Haruka and Michiru will call me when they can."_

It was after flopping onto the couch and rubbing her stocking feet together, Setsuna noticed the twin book bags by the door._ "What are they doing home?"_ she wondered. _"I better see what's going on."_

Moving efficiently, Setsuna quickly made her way down the hall to Hotaru's room. There, she found her two house mates, one in her bed, the other slumped over the desk, both snoring lightly. Instead of going in and risk disturbing the two sleeping women, she settled for observing them from the doorway for a few long moments.

_"They're so alike in some ways," _she mentally marveled. Her grin widened a bit more as she realized something. _"They're even snoring in sync."_

She watched them both just a more minutes before retreating back into the living room.

_"I'll ask Ranma when she gets up why they're home so early," _Setsuna mused. _"I hope it's nothing, but I have a feeling-" _any more thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

Sighing, Setsuna diverted from her destination, the couch, and headed to the front door. With unexpected dread, she opened the door to find Hotaru's aunt and uncle standing there. The look on Michiru and Haruka's faces as she let them inside spoke volumes.

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Ranma woke with a sudden start. _"Something's wrong,"_ she thought, then stopped in mid-thought. She analyzed her feelings and turned them over in her head. It wasn't anything tangible, however the overpowering feeling of dread filled her.

Blinking a few times to clear the traces of sleepiness away, Ranma looked over to the bed where she expected Hotaru to still be sleeping only to find the bed empty. Her heart froze as the intangible dread notched up a bit, only to beat it back by will power.

_"Probably in the living room watching another bad kung-fu flick,"_ Ranma thought with a thin smile as she rose from the chair that she had napped in. _"I hope it's not as lame as the last one, though,"_ Ranma remembered the movie where the villain spit fire. _"I had to explain to her that there were some things that martial artist just can't do."_

She paused a bit and stretched, barely noticing that she really didn't have any kinks, stiffness or soreness that should have come from her uncomfortable sleeping position. Coming out of her stretch, she felt more energized than she should and exited the room in her quest to locate her charge. Quickly checking the living room, bathroom and finally Setsuna's bedroom Ranma's search yielded nothing.

_"Where is she?"_ Ranma asked herself. It was a way of controlling the panic that was building up in her. _"She knows she shouldn't leave - wait!"_ Ranma arrested the wayward thoughts as she looked at the time and smiled. _"I bet Setsuna came home and took her somewhere to let me sleep," _Ranma concluded.

Her panic subsided a bit as she scanned the living room again. _"Yup. I bet that's what happened,"_ Ranma thought calmer. _"There's Setsuna's fancy shoes and... wait a minute,"_ Ranma spied the alcove. _"And there's Setsuna's purse! And her keys! She wouldn't go anywhere without those."_

An eerie panic filled her; eerie because it really wasn't a true panic... is was more like a urgent calling, like a trick of the eye that kept pulling her attention elsewhere. In this case though, it felt like a pulling from within. Just as Ranma was going to delve more into this feeling, the door knocked.

Letting a breath out, Ranma smiled as she made another leap of logic. _"Ah-ha!"_ She crowed mentally. _"They locked themselves out; that explains the keys and everything."_

Opening the door expecting a befuddled Setsuna and a possibly amused Hotaru, Ranma was disappointed to find that it was a friend from school, Nami. "Oh... hi," she greeted lamely.

Nami, still dressed in her school uniform, blinked at the redhead and then picked up her mood. "Are you all right?"

"Um... yeah," Ranma replied, brought up short. "What's... up?"

"Oh. I brought your homework," Nami explained as she dug through her book bag and produced several sheets of notes and held them out for Ranma. "There isn't much, but the English teacher wants us to read the next chapter in the textbook in preparation for next week... say... are you sure you're all right?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Ranma answered somewhat normally as she accepted the offered notes. "I was expecting someone else at the door."

"Oh? Who?" Nami asked with more interest that she should have.

Sighing internally, Ranma smiled at her boy-minded friend. "I'm waiting for Set- er, Miss Meioh and Hotaru to get back."

"Oh," Nami said with a tinge of disappointment. Her friend really needed to learn how to date, someone as nice as Ranma shouldn't be without a boyfriend. "How is Hotaru doing?"

"I put her to bed when I got home... I sorta fell asleep myself. When I woke up, she and Miss Meioh were gone," Ranma replied.

"They probably didn't want to wake you," Nami opined. "You did look rather unwell yourself when you left school."

"Er, yeah," Ranma agreed. "I did feel a bit worn down. Um, thanks for bringing my homework to me."

"That's what friends are for. See you in class," Nami said with a smile as she excused herself.

Setting the notes on top of her book bag where she could find them, Ranma returned to her original problem and rescanned the apartment. _"Where did they go?" _she asked herself distractedly. _"If Setsuna took Hotaru to the doctor's she'd would have woke me or at least left a note."_

Sighing, Ranma walked through the apartment again to gather any clues that she might have overlooked. However nothing was out of place or unusual except for the two missing women. The stillness and quiet of the apartment was closing in around her, making her feel very uneasy.

The feeling of dread started to flow through Ranma again as she realized that something was terribly amiss. _"Maybe Michiru and Haruka know where they went,"_ she thought as she picked up the handset of the phone - only to stop as a another feeling came to the fore.

Holding the phone and blinking, Ranma studied the feeling. The dread was still there but it was being forced aside by a sensation that Ranma could only describe as a calling... or an urge. Setting the handset down on its cradle, Ranma crossed the room to the large windows; hesitating a moment, she slid the tall glass door to one side and stepped out onto the narrow balcony. Peering out into the dusk-covered city, Ranma focused her attention to a particular spot.

_  
__"There is something... out there,"_ she thought as she reentered the apartment, the feeling was that of ants crawling over her. Pausing to try to come to grips with the sensation, but it was so overpowering that all she managed to do was shudder a bit. Firming up her lips, Ranma stared off into the distance for another half-second before making her decision. _"I'm going to find out-"_

Any more thoughts were cruelly cut off as Ranma gasped as a red-hot heat exploded from her chest, radiated outward to her limbs and laying her low. She barely caught the edge of the dining room table, as her knees made contact with the carpeted floor. A powerful wave of dizziness swept in the wake of the burning sensation leaving trails of pain that racked through her; the dizziness grew in strength so that it sapped her strength.

_  
"What in the hell was that?"_ Ranma thought as she tried unsuccessfully to climb to her feet; then her abdominal muscles contracted involuntarily. "Oh god..," she muttered as she leaned closer to the ground, fighting the dizziness and nausea for control of her stomach - and lost.

With a great heave, she emptied the contents of her stomach onto the carpet front of her, using what little strength she had left to keep herself from getting any on her. She felt shame at vomiting in the apartment. What made it worse was that the sensations that were making her ill kept ebbing and flowing like waves lapping on a sandy beach; steady, but not allowing the redhead a chance to collect herself.

_  
"Oh god, I'm going to be sick again,"_ Ranma mentally cried as she dry heaved painfully. _"What in the hell is happening to me?"_

She desperately attempted to regain control herself, but it was like a tidal wave building and there was no stopping it. Her breathing turned from gasping to a near hyperventilating pace as she knelt on the floor, clinging to the table edge as if it were the only thing keeping her from slipping into unconsciousness. Shutting her eyes tightly, Ranma tried to ride out this unexpected storm while fighting the losing battle for control. It was frightening.

_  
"I got to get a hold of myself... Oh, oh, oh," _she repeated as the sensations peaked. _"... I'm... I'm scared,"_ she admitted to herself.

Her mind racing in panic, Ranma swallowed hard and tried once again to center herself - and failed miserably.A new, more powerful sensation overwhelmed the others, displacing them. The intense burning from within grew again from a feverish sensation until Ranma thought she was going to spontaneously combust. With the nausea gone, Ranma managed to crack open her eyes a bit and crawl shakily away from the table.

_  
"What in the hell is happening to me? Why am I so sick all the sudden?"_ She thought desperately and wondered in the back of her head if she would even survive this.

The fever grew and grew until it consumed her.

It climbed so quickly that there wasn't really any time for the sensation of pain to register. Nevertheless, Ranma screamed out involuntarily as she felt as if fire was slowly leaking from her very soul and being pulled outside of her. It was so sickening and disorientating that Ranma swore to herself that if she survived this, she would go to the nearest shrine and thank the gods. Her head pounded with every beat of her heart, and all she wanted was for everything to stop, but instead she found herself caught in the middle of a kaleidoscope of lights, colors, and sound.

- and then as quickly as it struck, it was over.

Still on all fours, Ranma's breathing slowed to almost normal levels. The burning was gone and in its place was a sensation of... healthy power? In spite of the ordeal, she found herself strangely energized. Blinking a few times to clear some spots that floated before her eyes, Ranma slowly pushed herself into an upright sitting position and checked herself for damage.

Studying her hands first, Ranma found them now gloved.

_  
"What the-?_" She thought as she tugged on the elbow length gloves, only to find that they were more like a second skin than apparel. They were impossible to remove.

_  
"Aw man, more weird crap in my life," _she concluded. Looking past her black gloved hands, she blinked as other changes started to register with her. Standing without any ill affects, Ranma took stock of these new changes.

Ranma now found herself, not in her school uniform, but in a modified version of her nanny uniform. The black skirt was slightly shorter than her usual uniform, but still modest in the fact that it still came to about mid-thigh. The top was as black as before, but the white collar was now much wider and now sported a bow that resembled the one from her school uniform. The bow now framed the emerald-green jewel that Setsuna had given her to wear when she started.

On the front, covering most of the skirt, was a modified white apron, with frilly ruffles, that tied in the back with an exaggerated bow. Looking over her shoulder, Ranma noted that her shirt appeared to be backless to just shy of the top of her skirt. Like the gloves she now wore, everything fit like a second skin and there was no taking it off.

Placing a hand to her forehead as if too mentally stabilize herself, Ranma felt something band-like resting there.

Idly rubbing her fingers together, she realized that her hand itched; not just any itch, but an itch that told her something was missing... something should be there. Focusing on her outstretched gloved hand, Ranma studied her palm, as if looking for answers there. All she saw was her empty hand encased in a black glove. Flexing her fingers, Ranma tried to imagine herself holding... something and as if to answer that desire, something did happen.

Looking on in fascination, Ranma watched as wispy tendrils of fog gathered in the palm of her hand. Blinking a few times to clear her eyes, Ranma stared as the fog thickened and clung to her hand like a living thing. In a slight panic, she shook her hand violently as if it were on fire, in an effort to rid herself of this latest development, but all that accomplished was to make the itching in her hand increase.

_  
"What in the hell is going on here?!" _Ranma's mind screamed as she continued to frantically shake her hand. _"First I get sick, then somehow I'm in this get-up and now my hand is smoking like it is on fire."_

_"The hell with this crap," _she thought as she stopped flapping her hand about with the intention of maybe submerging it in water or washing it or something. That's when she noticed a definite change in the tendrils of fog that surrounded her hand. _"Now what?"_

Not quite believing what had just happened, Ranma blinked a few times as the smoke in her hand solidified into something tangible and real. Finding that blinking wasn't helping, she settled on rubbing her eyes with her free hand to see if that would help. It did not and the odd object was still in her hand. It was a rod about the length of her forearm topped with a orb with wings on it. Entwined around the shaft were two ornate snakes that wrapped around until they ended up facing one another with the orb between them.

After staring for unmeasured moments at the odd staff-like thing, it fell gracelessly from her nerveless fingers. The confirmation of the weird object's existence came as it made a solid 'thunk' against the hardwood floor. Staring down at the staff, Ranma tried to wrap her mind around what had just happened. She drew a blank.

"What in the hell is going on here!" She asked aloud, not caring anymore if she was heard. This was too much even for her. "This is getting freakin' ridiculous."

Sighing , she looked about her and blinked. And blinked again. Her surroundings had changed. No - not her surroundings she realized, but how she was seeing them. It was as if the everything now had an, for a lack of a better word, _intensified_ look to them now. The colors were brighter - even the grays the darkness of the shadows in the room were pushed back and she could see everything down to the minutest detail.

"Too weird," she softly commented. She frowned at the bit of puke and decided that cleaning was something sane she could do.

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"Ranma?" Setsuna asked as she entered the apartment. She led a muted Hotaru inside.

"I don't know if we should have left her," Hotaru eventually stated as they made their way down the hallway.

Setsuna paused; she wanted to say that it was Senshi business and Senshi business wasn't Ranma's but... She stayed silent as she made her way to and poked her head in Hotaru's room. Seeing that Ranma wasn't where she left her, she assumed that she had woken up and was in her own room. Just as she was proceeding to Ranma's room to check on her, Hotaru called over to her.

"Setsuna-momma, Ranma's in here," the young girl motioned with her hand as she stood by the door to the bathroom.

Stepping aside, Hotaru allowed Setsuna to peek in and spy on the redhead as she dozed in the furo. "Ranma?" She verbally prodded, softly.

Ranma's eyes fluttered opened. "Oh hi," she winced as the queasiness in her stomach grew.

Setsuna detected Ranma's discomfort. "Are you all right?"

"I'm ..," Ranma paused. "No. I'm not."

"What's wrong? Upset stomach?" Setsuna asked softly as she sat on the edge of the furo. Hotaru entered the bathroom and hovered behind the seated woman.

"It's kind of a long story," Ranma replied softly as she leaned back into the warm water. "But to make it short I got sick and the next thing I know I'm wearing the most girly get-up you ever saw."

Setsuna paused in thought. "I don't know about that, I am in the fashion business." Setsuna frowned when she saw her joke fall flat.

Stealing a glance at Hotaru, who was now wearing a worried look. "Oh well," Ranma sighed. "I really don't know how to describe it," she said. "There was like... um... I got sick - to my stomach and all these lights started dancing around me and the next thing I know I'm wearing something that looked kinda like my uniform but I couldn't take it off."

Setsuna and Hotaru just stared at the soaking redhead.

"I'll never make fun of magical girls again," she quipped at her... housemates in a weak attempt at humor. "Say... where did you guys go?"

"We had a meeting," Setsuna stated flatly as she leaned over a bit to better look at Ranma. She noted that Ranma was now naked. "How did you get out of... whatever it was you were wearing?"

Ranma shrugged. "I don't know. After cleaning up my mess, I decided to have a soak. Sometime between cleaning and filling the furo, I ended up back in my normal clothes."

"I see." Setsuna thought a moment, and came up with the same disturbing range of options. "Hotaru, would you mind looking after Ranma for a bit?"

"I'm all right now," Ranma weakly protested.

"I'll be back in a moment," Setsuna continued as if she hadn't heard Ranma. She rose smoothly from where she was seated and looked down on the nanny. "I want to get something - it'll only take a moment."

A quick call, a transformation, leaving and returning took all of six and a half minutes in real time - subjective time, for Setsuna, she was away closer to twenty minutes.

_"I should have done this when I said I was going to,"_ Setsuna scolded herself as she emerged and detransformed in the living room. _"I should have investigated Ranma's acquired healing ability more. I should have already scanned her with this." _

_  
_She sighed heavily just outside the bathroom door, rubbing her forehead with her fingers_. "I just got so caught up in the normalcy of life... and Ranma hadn't mentioned anything more... it just got slipped to the wayside."_

_  
_Pausing outside the furo door as she heard Hotaru giggle at what was probably some story that Ranma was telling her, Setsuna allowed a pang of guilt to rip through her. If she was more forthright with Ranma, maybe she would not be feeling this way. She pushed the door open.

_"At least we'll find out what's happening with Ranma tonight." _Screwing her courage up, she reentered the furo, Hotaru's eyes widened a bit as she turned to the green-haired woman and saw what was in her hand.

"What's that?" The still soaking redhead asked.

"This is... a computer that should help explain what is going on with you," Setsuna answered confidently.

"How?" Ranma asked pulling herself up, despite the nausea.

"Remember when I promised to look into your healing powers?" Setsuna asked, side-stepping the question.

"Yeah," Ranma nodded, causing the room to swim a bit. "Yeah, I forgot all about that."

"Well this is going to help me," Setsuna said.

"Healing powers?" Hotaru asked in a thin voice.

Setsuna sighed. She considered asking Hotaru to leave, but decided against it. No matter what, there would be no more lies tonight. "Yes, Hotaru," Setsuna replied. "Ranma seems to have... acquired your gift."

Hotaru looked between 'mother' and nanny; a slightly distraught look came over her. "I'm so sorry."

"It ain'- that is, it isn't your fault," Ranma firmly corrected. "I told you weird stuff was always happening to me. It's no big deal."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Hotaru asked, hands on hips and feeling slightly betrayed. Setsuna was about to answer, but was cut off by Ranma answering first.

"Because we didn't want you to worry about me," Ranma said. "You have enough to worry about without dealing with things that you can't control."

"But-"

"Hotaru-chan," Setsuna said gently. "We care enough about you not to burden you with it."

Hotaru seemed satisfied with that explanation for a moment - but only for a moment. "You still should have told me," she complained loudly. "I'm part of this family too."

"Okay, okay," Ranma reluctantly agreed while leaning back into the water; she wasn't feeling all that well and didn't feel like debating. "Next time something weird happens to me, you'll be the first to know."

During Hotaru's and Ranma's exchange, Setsuna had flipped open the small Mercury computer and began her scan. At first, what she was reading wasn't making much sense. _"What in the hell is this?"_ She asked herself as she studied the readouts. _"This pattern is clearly Hotaru's... but what is this here,"_ she thought as she watched the two interactions of two distinct patterns. _"This can't be happening."_

The furo fell silent during Setsuna's preliminary scan and it was that quietness that drew her away from the Mercury computer's display and to her surroundings. She looked up at the worried face of Hotaru and down at the pensive one from Ranma.

"Did you find anything?" Ranma asked.

Swallowing a bit, Setsuna folded away the Mercury computer and looked down on the redhead. "You know that off-the-wall comment you made about never making fun of magical girls?"

"Er, yeah," Ranma said as she recalled saying something like that.

"Well... I think... I think you might be... a magical girl now," Setsuna said more bluntly than intended. She could not help it, she was more than rattled by what she had seen. For the first time in a long while, she had been completely surprised. It was not fun.

Silence ticked by.

"What!" Ranma half-shrieked. Then her voice than calmed a bit. "I can't be. I just can't be."

"She's just like us?" Hotaru piped up the question.

There was a pause in the room as Hotaru's question echoed about.

"W-what?" A confused Ranma stammered out.

Setsuna rubbed her head; she now regretted not asking Hotaru to leave. This was not anything like she was expecting and Hotaru's indiscreet question only complicated the matters. This was something that was not only unforeseeable but unprecedented.

"Ranma..." Setsuna began, only to stop a moment. "It is a long story."

Chewing her lip, the redhead look from back and forth between the two women; she decided to go for it. "Are you magical girls?"

Hotaru blushed and looked down as Setsuna merely nodded.

Despite herself Ranma smiled. "Funny skirt, bows, tiara?"

The violet-eyed girl coughed.

"Well, if you're going to be fighting monsters, it's a good thing I've been training you," Ranma commented in a half-daze. Sometimes her life was a little too weird even for her and she had not quite wrapped her mind around being a suspected "magical girl".

Hotaru nodded. "I knew there was something special about you."

"Why did you and Setsuna keep that from me?"

Hotaru frowned. "It's supposed to be a secret. I have a hard enough time with my healing."

"No one is supposed to know," Setsuna interjected. "Can you imagine the danger our friends and family would be in if the creatures we fought against knew who we were?"

Ranma stared a short moment at the green-haired woman. "Good point," was all she was able to muster for a response.

"Are you... mad at me?" Hotaru asked in an almost pained tone.

"No," Ranma replied automatically, aware of the young girls feelings. "It's just that... I would have at least would have liked a hint."

"Like I did when you got healing powers?" Hotaru asked softly, but somewhat pointedly.

"Er... yeah," Ranma fumbled about, before composing herself. "So, you're magical girls?"

"Why don't you get dressed first," Setsuna offered. "Then we'll explain everything."

Ranma nodded and reached for a towel and began drying off.

After getting dressed, Ranma eased herself onto her bed. She watched Hotaru climb up and sit across from her, it was as if the young girl was afraid to leave her nanny alone. Ranma paused and studied Hotaru. It was strange, Ranma considered, Setsuna knew someone who had a computer that could what... detect magical girls? Sense magical power? Ranma knew there was plenty of magic around, her current body was proof of that. "Why didn't she use it before?" Ranma muttered, adjusting how she sat on her bed.

"Because she didn't know you were going to become a magical girl," Hotaru innocently explained.

"And why do you two believe me? You haven't seen anything."

"You would never lie to us," Hotaru said in a stern tone that caused Ranma's heart to hurt. "Besides, we both have healing powers."

"It's okay," Ranma said as she pulled the smaller girl to her chest. "I know it's hard to fit in if you're strange."

Hotaru twisted to get more comfortable. "That's just a little bit of healing, not destruction... if they knew..."

"Destruction?" Ranma laughed and hugged her tighter. "I wouldn't care if you could destroy the universe. I'm your nanny; I know you."

"Really?" Hotaru brightened and rolled over so she could hug Ranma. "That's great!"

"How are we feeling?" Setsuna asked as she entered the room, carrying the small blue electronic device from earlier.

"Much better," Ranma replied as she hugged her ward. "What is that anyway? I don't recall ever seeing that around."

"Miss Ranma doesn't mind that I can destroy the Earth!" Hotaru happily piped up.

"Really? That's very good news," Setsuna with the same pride when Hotaru got a perfect score an exam. She smiled as she redirected herself to Ranma. "To answer your question, I altered the flow of time to go to another magical girl's house and borrow her super-powered magical computer."

Ranma sighed. "There are other magical girls? Is anyone here not a magical girl?"

"That's what this will find out," Setsuna said as she fiddled with the computer. She looked up to see Ranma frown. The older woman stepped over and sat down on the bed. "I'm sorry; I should have told you, I've spent my whole life living alone, living with secrets."

She looked at the computer display and put it down.

"I know about secrets," Ranma commented as she held Hotaru to her; she briefly wondered how Hotaru would react to her own past, but quickly pushed that aside. One disaster at a time. "So, what's the diagnosis?"

"I'm pretty sure you did transform," Setsuna said, picking the computer up again.

"Yeah, I cleaned up the puke to prove it," Ranma grumbled.

"You threw up?"

"I thought I told you."

"You told us you got sick, but didn't say anything about throwing up," Setsuna said worriedly.

"Oh... well... I did. I don't know how you guys deal with changing though. It's a horrible rush," Ranma felt her stomach buck at the memory.

"It shouldn't be like that," Hotaru said looking between her nanny and Setsuna.

Setsuna chewed her lip. "Would... would you mind transforming?"

Ranma paled at the thought. "I'm not sure how I did it the first time," she admitted. "It just happened."

Hotaru pulled herself away from her nanny and jumped onto the floor. "Maybe it would help if I... I show you mine? Okay?"

"Sure," Ranma said and was immediately bathed in otherworldly light as a giant bladed staff appeared in Hotaru's hands and her clothing vanished, to be replaced moments later via a combination of lights and gymnastics with a uniform that reminded Ranma of the reflection she saw a month ago.

"See? No sickness," Sailor Saturn said as she leaned on her glaive.

"No wonder you wanted to be trained on the staff. Saturn though?" Ranma asked recalling the phrase Hotaru had shouted.

"Yes, we're named after planets," Setsuna explained.

"Pluto's not a planet," Saturn teased.

Setsuna's eye twitched. "Yes, well anyway. I should show you mine."

Ranma smiled broadly at the transformation and nodded appraisingly at the skirt. "See this stuff looks good on you guys. Why don't you have aprons? How come I got the sucky transformation?"

"We won't know until you try it again," Pluto said leaning on her staff.

"Yeah, but like I said: I don't know how to do it. It kinda just happened."

"Must have been during the meeting, when our powers rebooted." Setsuna pondered. It was a rather silly experience. They "lost" their powers only to have them restored almost immediately. Maybe that's why the system reset, there was a new connection.

"So that's where you girls were. Big magical girl meeting?"

"Not that big, just Haruka and Michiru were there."

"Haruka? He's a magical girl! A girl?" Ranma laughed mirthfully; she could guess how hard it was on the guy. "Well I guess he could look good in a skirt."

"Ranma, Haruka is a girl," Pluto gently said.

The redhead blinked once and sighed. "Aw man... not again. You'd think I'd finally be able to spot cross-dressers."

Pluto shook her head. "Anyway, we all have a transformation item, which on our team can double as weapons," she said patting her big staff.

"Neptune's mirror isn't a weapon."

"That's right," Setsuna admitted. "Anyway you summon an item and transform with it."

"Summon an item..." Ranma voice trailed off.

"Picture it in your mind," Hotaru offered helpfully.

"Okay... there was-" Ranma began as she stood up.

"Hang on," Setsuna interrupted. "I want to get a reading on this - just in case something happens," she added as she reopened the Mercury computer and held it up. "Okay, try."

"There was like a weird snake stick thingy." As Ranma spoke the small rod with two intertwined snakes on the end appeared in a small cloud of fog in her hand. She would have jumped at the stick's sudden appearance if it were not for the nausea that grew in her as she was enveloped in a green light.

"Adorable," Saturn said, watching the new Senshi's uniform come into being.

"Yes the stockings are a nice touch, though the maid's cap is a bit much," Pluto appraised as she split her attention between Ranma and the computer's display. The Mercury computer's screen was going crazy as it tried to display everything that had happened at once.

"_This pattern here must be Ranma's curse,"_ Setsuna concluded as she studied the readings, _".. this one here matches closely to Hotaru's... but... what?" _She studied an animation that displayed the interactions of the patterns. It formed a new pattern that would need more looking at though._ "It almost looks like, Hotaru's gift might have tried to cure Ranma of his curse and it backfired... it combined... what in the hell is going on?"_

"I love the apron," Saturn then noticed her nanny wobble as the transformation finished and moved to assist her, but Setsuna was already there.

Ranma found herself held by two strong arms. She looked over to see gloved hands holding her up. "Yeah... that wasn't fun."

"It's okay," Pluto said holding her by the hip. "Do you need to go to the bathroom?"

"No, I just need to sit down," Ranma said as the two eased her back onto the edge of the bed. The contact with Hotaru made most of the sickness pass, but even with that, Ranma felt unsteady.

"You're definitely a Sailor Senshi," Pluto looked at the readout. The amount of data generated was hard to decipher. "Not sure what of."

"Sailor Nanny!" Saturn gleefully suggested.

"I am dressed that way," Ranma weakly smiled as she held her belly. The sickness wasn't as bad as the first time; perhaps Hotaru's presence had helped eased it or something.

"Is it really that bad?" Pluto asked. "This thing doesn't say you're in any health danger."

"Neither does riding a roller coaster for an hour," Ranma sighed.

"Least you're not throwing up," Saturn offered.

"There's that kiddo." Ranma smiled. "So can I go back to normal? Or do we have to fight monsters?"

"Nope, we're good tonight. Do you know how to get back?" Pluto asked, keeping her expression cool. She had set the computer to analyze the recorded information of the transformation. It beeped once and readout that it would take a few hours to complete. Time enough to explain some things to the redhead. She looked up to see a very unsteady nanny.

"I figured it out, eventually," Ranma grumbled as she closed her eyes. After a moment, nothing happened. "Oh man, how do you girls do it?" she asked.

"Just picture yourself in your normal clothes," prompted Hotaru.

Ranma closed her eyes again and pictured herself in her regular uniform. Slowly she shifted back the clothes she had on before. When she opened her eyes she saw both of the other girls had detransformed. She sighed. "So now what?"

"Now we tell you everything," Setsuna explained. "How is your stomach?"

"Uh...," Ranma verbally stammered as she took stock in herself. "I'm much better - I think. Why?"

Setsuna smirked. "Hotaru get some antacids and some of that pink stuff from the bathroom." She stood up. "I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to settle your stomach as you get dressed."

"Huh?" Ranma asked before taking the medicine Hotaru had fetched. It did seem to help, a bit.

"If I'm going to tell you the story of a magical kingdom built on love and justice and then go to our role as protectors of humanity from all kinds of monsters, we're going to do it on the proper setting."

"What did you do?"

"I talked with Etsuko and I was saving it." Setsuna smirked. "But tonight is a special night. Oh I hope Green Mountain has an open room."

"I'm sure they can free one up for you in an hour or so," Ranma dryly remarked.

"Excellent, plenty of time," Setsuna said pulling out her phone.

"Wait, what am I going to wear?" Ranma demanded.

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"You really went all out," Ranma repeated as she got herself out of the cab. Her geta caught on the curb and she was kept from falling by Setsuna who was in her own kimono. Ranma was feeling much better and the freakiness to this evening's earlier events was diminished by the casualness of Setsuna's attitude. It was replaced by a slight detached, surreal feeling.

"But you look so pretty," Hotaru said as she hopped out in her yukata.

Ranma had on a light blue nagajuban with white snowflakes but it was obscured by a darker homongi that went from deep red to a brighter yellow with a large cloud pattern that flowed over her shoulders and sleeves. Her obi was a vibrant green and had leafless trees around the band. Her hair had been fluffed to add some more body and was pinned up with a few opal pins and ornaments that matched her brooch.

She eased up and kept her freshly manicured hand in Setsuna's while Hotaru took the other one. "You really picked this well," Ranma said as she licked her lips. She had gotten used to makeup, but what Setsuna had done was quite artistic, if a bit pale for her tastes.

"The fancy dress gave time for your stomach to calm," Setsuna smiled as the trio made their way to the restaurant.

The hostess warmly smiled at them when they entered. Compared to Miss Meiou's demands on the kitchen, getting a room open, even with the alterations, was easy. "You all look lovely," Keiko said with a small bow.

Ranma blushed while Setsuna smiled thinly.

"I'll show you to your table," Keiko said in a voice that was as smooth as silk as she stole one more glance at the three before leading them. Hotaru-chan was dressed cutely, and Miss Meiou had her classic sexy and powerful style, but Miss Ranma-chan was something else. She always dressed well, but tonight she looked the perfect part of a bauble for someone's arm.

"Here you go, enjoy," Keiko smiled as she slid open the door to the private room. "Congratulations," she whispered to Ranma when she walked past. Keiko had been in the kitchen and seen some of what Miss Meiou had ordered and had a fair idea as to what tonight would be about.

"Uh, thank you," Ranma said as she entered the room and was embraced by the soothing scent of warming soups. It was a small room, enough to comfortably fit a table for four. Oddly enough it had a U-shaped booth instead of chairs. The room itself was well appointed and dimly lit.

"I decided to start us off with something easy on the stomach," Setsuna said as she helped Ranma into the booth before sitting at her left.. "I'm sure if you pace yourself we won't have any leftovers."

"But that cheesecake was good," Hotaru pouted as she sat down at the small table to Ranma's right.

"Don't worry, I've got something better in mind," Setsuna smirked as she took a spoon of lobster bisque and offered it to Ranma.

"Oh nice," Ranma said after trying a taste. "So what's the story with you guys?"

Setsuna smiled and poured a bowl for Ranma and then herself. "Don't be bashful, they've made a bunch of soups for us to sample."

"Try the swordfish next," Hotaru said as she sipped at hers. "It's delicious."

Setsuna smiled. "It's a simple story really. There was once a very powerful but very wise and just queen. She had a castle on the Moon and ruled the entire solar system. The Sailor Senshi were her elite guard. The four innermost planets, excluding earth, were represented by one Senshi each who were the guardians to the princess, while the four outermost planets were her soldiers."

Ranma raised an eyebrow, but did not ask a question. She had finished her first bowl and wanted to see if Hotaru was right.

"That sounds almost... fairy tale-ish," Ranma finally commented.

"I know, it sounds silly, but you saw our pretty uniforms." Setsuna frowned and poked at her soup. "Of course it ended."

"That's why we're not living in a magical interplanetary kingdom," Ranma stated. She blinked. "Really, try the swordfish, Hotaru was so right."

Setsuna nodded. "I won't bore you with the details: our queen sacrificed herself to seal the monsters that had destroyed everything, but not before sending her daughter and her Senshi to be reincarnated in the future."

Ranma looked up from her soup. "Sealed?" She said with a slight shake of her head. "Oh man, even I know that's trouble. Let me guess: The monsters got loose and you guys had to fight them?" She asked as she made her way to a soup that smelled heavenly and only said "Bliss" on the nametag. She could see bits of prawn in it, however.

Setsuna nodded. "At first it was just the Guardian Senshi, but the threats got worse."

"Oh yes..." Ranma moaned as she swallowed the first spoonful. She didn't want to get too distracted from what Setsuna was saying, but the food here was too good.

"I see you found the chef's specialty," Setsuna smirked.

'What's in this?" Ranma asked after demolishing her first bowl.

"I think you should have some now," Setsuna mock whispered to Hotaru. "Your Nanny found her stomach again," she said patting the redhead's silk encased belly, a move that made Ranma feel oddly comforted.

"That's good," Hotaru said as she gave herself a small bowl of bliss before refilling Ranma's. With a smirk she then took a ladle and hovered it over Ranma's plum colored lips.

The redhead happily gulped it down and leaned back with a broad smile as the soup warmed her. _"Ahh yes, much better."_

Setsuna smiled and checked her watch, the second course should be arriving just in time. "Each of the senshi have power over different areas. I have time and space. Little Hotaru has rebirth and destruction."

Ranma nodded as she opened her eyes and sipped some more of her wonderful soup.

"You really like this," Hotaru noted. It was a delicious soup.

"Eating is something we have to do every day, and unlike breathing it's easy to vary it's effects for... artistic reasons," Setsuna said as she watched the redheaded lady finish her soup and begin to pout.

"I think we can finish on a nice beef broth," Setsuna said as she offered the steaming bowl to Ranma and gently raised it to her mouth.

After Ranma finished she leaned forward and smiled. "Yeah, eating is great. So, Hotaru's the big guns?" she said as she hugged the smaller girl.

"Yes quite the power. Our princess has more, but it's of a different nature."

"Well once you can destroy the whole planet what does a little more matter?"

Hotaru smiled and snuggled into Ranma's side.

Setsuna shrugged. "The point is that we ultimately serve our princess."

"But not bodyguard or stuff like that. That's the... guardian's job right?"

Setsuna nodded. She turned to see the door open and a group of waiters remove the old dishes and replace them with all the precision and elegance of a ballet.

Ranma's next question was cut off by the large platter of fish, rice, noodles, and shellfish put in front of her by two waiters. She hesitated as she looked over the immense landscape, and it was a landscape as each piece fit into it's own zone and complimented the adjacent ones.

"I decided to ask the chef for something... surprising. It took some doing but he warmed up to this sampler idea. Now I know what Hotaru and myself like, but I decided to play it safe with you," Setsuna lied, knowing full well Ranma's tastes.

"Wow," Ranma hesitated unsure of where even to start in the riot of food.

"Pick anywhere," Setsuna advised as she worked at her normally portioned platter.

Ranma chose a bit of fried octopus and did not look back. Steadily the platter began to clear as she worked through it in an outward spiral. A quarter into it she paused and sipped some of the water and leaned back and found Hotaru putting her head onto her side and hugging her midsection.

"So where do you guys fit in? Where do I?" As she patted Hotaru and returned the hug. Ranma guessed that Setsuna and Haruka and Michiru were the only ones who really accepted Hotaru, and Ranma was not so sure about the, apparently, lesbian couple.

"You're one of us," Setsuna said simply. "We'll figure out your powers. I think you'll work best with Hotaru."

"Makes sense," Ranma admitted. She then wore an uncomfortable look. "Is that why you hired me? To help Hotaru be a better magical girl?"

"No...," Setsuna said as she picked up a crab dumpling that Ranma had somehow missed and eased it to the redhead. "I hired you because Hotaru needed a nanny. I never imagined... I mean... well you've seen how she's improved."

Hotaru nodded and pulled herself back to her dinner. "What you've done will help me as Sailor Saturn, but you're helping me be more... more than her," her voice drifted before she shook her head and picked her chopsticks up.

Ranma reached out and put a hand around Hotaru. "Of course you're more than that."

"I think you'll like our Princess," Setsuna noted as she picked up another morsel to give to her employee.

"She's really nice," Hotaru added as Ranma ate.

"Yes, Usagi has matured quite nicely. Very reassuring," Setsuna added.

The redhead's eyes widened and she struggled to swallow. "Usagi? Blonde girl? Two long pony tails?"

Setsuna nodded. "You've met her?"

"Not really, but I've heard about her at school," Ranma shook her head and sipped some tea. "Lemmie guess, that clique she has is her Guardian Senshi? There's four of them in all."

Setsuna smirked. "Actually one of them goes to a private school. The four Guardian Senshi is not including Usagi. She's Sailor Moon."

"Of course," Ranma nodded. "She's the daughter of that moon queen, of course she'd be Sailor Moon."

Hotaru chuckled. "You know how long it took them to figure that out?"

"To be fair, Venus was pretending to be the princess for a bit. Which hurt their search," Setsuna added.

"But if she's called Sailor _Moon_, and they're looking for a princess from the _Moon_," Ranma shook her head. "Even I can figure that out."

"It was a good growing experience for them," Setsuna explained as she picked up some noodles for Ranma. "Usagi had to accept what she was, before she could really become what she needed to be."

Ranma raised an eyebrow as she chewed.

"You'll meet her soon enough," Setsuna promised. "I think she'll really like you."

"You both like to eat." Hotaru giggled when Ranma paused in mid-bite to blush. "Don't worry you're much neater than she is."

"Yes, in addition to your improved decorum, you have a much more mature palate," Setsuna added. She then quipped, "Perhaps you can help Usagi learn some manners."

"I don't really know Usagi," Ranma coughed. "I hear she is nice enough though; I hear she's also a bit scatter-brained," Ranma allowed. She looked down and was surprised to see only a fifth of her platter remained.

"That's her," Setsuna said.

"So what about you guys?" Ranma asked. "If Usagi's friends are her bodyguards what do you... er... we do?"

"We're the ones they call when things get really, really bad," Hotaru added with a cocky smirk.

"More or less," Setsuna allowed. She studied her young ward for a moment. "We also have other duties."

"Oh like?" Ranma asked.

"Guarding magical talismans," Setsuna offered.

"Destroying planets," Hotaru added with a smirk.

"Watching the gates of time." Setsuna paused and put a finger to her temple. Hotaru's nanny was having an effect on the girl.

"Time gates?" Ranma's eyes widened. "You mean like time travel?"

"Yes, it's my job to keep people from abusing the gates." Setsuna said wondering when Ranma would finally react to all this.

Ranma stopped eating and paused to think. "So you're telling me that you're elite magical girls in service of a princess from the moon, and one of you can blow up planets and the other one guards a time machine."

"Yes," Setsuna stated.

"Good," Ranma went back to her meal. "I wouldn't trust that kind of power with anyone else. I've seen people use time travel. Nothing but a headache. Stupid mirror."

"Mirror? The Nanban Mirror? You've seen it?" Setsuna asked. She had been looking for that pesky thing for a while.

"Yup, it ended up being shattered," Ranma said as she began to finish off her platter.

Setsuna sighed in relief. "Thank goodness."

"So that's why you hired a nanny? Because of the Gates."

"The gates do take up time, but I wanted help with Hotaru, I'm not exactly..." While Setsuna waited to think of how to proceed another batch of waiters came in and rotated the dish ware to the next course.

"Yes?" Ranma asked while discretely appreciating the wafting scent to the trio of lightly grilled fish steaks in front of her.

"I told you that the Senshi reincarnated, but that's not exactly true. One of us didn't die, and kept watch, made sure things worked out... reasonably well."

"That was you," Ranma said as she picked up a knife and started cutting her mahi-mahi. "So you're..."

"Very, very old? Yes."

"You look much better than any other old woman I've seen." Ranma commented as she eyed Setsuna's form without realizing it, then froze after finishing the sentence.

Hotaru smirked and went to work on her fried crabs.

Setsuna laughed and worked at her steamed rainbow trout. "I wasn't awake for the whole time. I would wake up every once in a while and check up on things. The right spells took care of the languages, but I was an alien, a foreigner. It wasn't until a few decades ago that I started getting ready."

Ranma coughed. "Sorry about that."

"If you're willing to take your foot out of your mouth, there's much better things to put in there," Setsuna said as she lifted one of the pieces of fish Ranma cut. She smirked when Ranma started chewing. "As I was saying, I was only awake for part of that time. Still even a few days every year adds up," she sighed. "Jet lagged is an understatement. At first it felt weird for me to be staying in one spot, in one year."

"It must have been lonely," Ranma said as she leaned over to hold Setsuna's shoulder.

Setsuna smiled. "Yeah, and after that, it was.. hard to put down roots again. That's why I took in Hotaru, I needed an anchor. I didn't want to stay some aloof and distant person without anything other than her work."

"Well, you have people that care about you now," Ranma assured her.

"Yeah, a real family," Hotaru added with a mischievous smile.

"It was a good idea," Setsuna said patting Ranma on the stomach. "You two have been wonderful for me."

"I like having a family," Hotaru quietly said.

Ranma put down her chopsticks and idly adjusted her obi. "I know it was hard losing your family like that."

"That's only part of the story," Setsuna said, as she flipped her trout so she could get to the other side of the fish. "You know about the lab accident, but what you don't know was that there was one before that. One where Hotaru was hurt real bad."

"My mother died and my father was conned by an evil entity and later possessed. My life was saved but I wound up being possessed."

"Oh, God," Ranma whispered.

"Because of the entity growing in her, Hotaru was weak, even weaker than when you first met her," Setsuna paused and decided to tell the rest. "The being was called Mistress Nine and would occasionally take control. It eventually took full control and she tried to summon a monster that would destroy the earth."

"She was beaten and I arose as Saturn," Hotaru stated. "We then sent them back to Tau and sealed the gateway."

"Sealed?" Ranma turned to Setsuna. "Again with the sealing?"

"I would have preferred to destroy them too, but it was the only option."

"Don't worry, we kicked their ass before closing the door," Hotaru smirked as she cracked a crab apart. Some of Ranma's occasional accidental verbal slips were rubbing off onto the young girl.

"Yes, I recall you blew up that planet, and it was only the Princess showing up at full power that saved you."

"I got better," Hotaru pouted.

"Having to regrow from an infant's why you were so weak." Setsuna turned to Ranma. "Also that big monster, Pharaoh 90, needs to be summoned from earth, that's why Hotaru was possessed, and why it was so important to adopt her. That and she had no family left. Her father died too."

Ranma paused to digest, mentally and physically. It was a bit too much to take in all at once, but she mentally worked on it as she reached out and freshened her tea and then decided to refill Hotaru and Setsuna's cups. "So a mad scientist destroys his family, a monster takes over a little girl and then uses her to open a gateway to get an even bigger monster in. You Sailor Senshi then save the day and you adopt the young orphan girl." The redhead then went back to her fish and started working on the yellow-tail.

"That's the short of it, yes," Setsuna nodded.

"Good," Ranma smiled as she continued to eat. She was making some sense of the situation.

"How's work been?" Hotaru asked out of nowhere.

"Same old same old," Setsuna frowned. "The fashion magazines are still hounding me, and I really should take another contract, but..." Setsuna shrugged.

Ranma swallowed. "More important things are coming up?"

Setsuna nodded. "Being a fashion designer is just a cover, sure it's amusing, and helps me develop contacts, but it's not my real job."

"Yes, your real job is saving the world from monsters," Ranma said, still sounding out the words. The whole concept seemed ludicrous on the surface and yet... well in Nerima the fighting was everywhere and normally pointless, here the fighting was secret and the fate of the world hung in the balance.

"It can be yours too," Hotaru said with a bit of hope in her voice.

"We'll have to learn more about your powers, and why you get sick, but if you want to yes, join us." Setsuna offered.

"Damn straight, I'm not gonna let you guys do this alone," Ranma said. She then paused in thought. _"Is that what I really want?"_

"Good, we still need to figure out why you're a Senshi. Though figuring out your powers and which Senshi you are should help," Setsuna scratched her chin. "And once we figure that out we can lay out a training regimen."

Sounds good." Ranma brightened and resumed her eating. Training in something new, that would be great after months of just practicing moves she learned ages ago.

"Well you started getting healing powers like Hotaru's, after you met her. We had a Senshi meeting today where our powers reasserted themselves. So maybe that woke up your latent powers," Setsuna frowned. She knew she was guessing, but she felt that she had to throw a possibility out there.

"Heck of a coincidence though," Ranma noted.

"But that happens all the time," Hotaru protested. "Look at how the guardian Senshi met."

"Yes mostly during monster attacks that coincidentally brought them together." Setsuna sighed and fed some fish to Ranma as a distraction.

"Well, what about your time powers? You didn't pick me because I was a Senshi with powers like Hotaru?" Ranma asked after she finished eating.

"No." Setsuna simply said. "I picked you because you're the best for the job. If I'd have known you would be a Senshi when I hired you." She held her hand up. "Frankly, I would have been suspicious."

"Too good to be true then?" Ranma smirked.

Setsuna looked over the kimono-clad and coifed redhead. "Yes, but I've gotten used to you being perfect." She leaned in and gave Ranma a quick embrace. "Ranma, I'll be honest with you on everything - what has happened to you should have been impossible."

Ranma happily murmured and returned the hug. Looking up, Ranma found herself dangerously close to Setsuna's face. Close enough to feel her breath caress her cheek; this threw her a bit. "Um.. okay, er... now what?" She managed.

"Well, we wait until the computer finishes processing and gives us the results of the scans," Setsuna replied, breaking the embrace. "We should at least get a better idea then."

"Okay...," Ranma said as she tried to discreetly cool herself. "So, I'm like an accidental Senshi?"

"I honestly don't know. We have seen other Senshi pop up. From asteroids and the like," Setsuna explained. "However, given the curve balls life seems to throw at you, I should have expected you'd end up being one of us."

Ranma was surprised with herself at how blase she was taking all of this... as if it was almost expected. Her frown at it being broken evaporated when Setsuna resumed feeding her. Deciding that she had enough weirdness for the moment, Ranma changed the subject to something more down to Earth.

"Has there been any progress with the police?" Ranma eventually asked when she finished her mackerel fillet.

Setsuna put down her chopsticks. "They're about to arrest Mr. Huang. They've done enough digging to make a solid case. There may be some issues with Hong Kong, but our lawyers are helping."

Ranma nodded absently as she sipped some tea. She was about to speak but held her tongue when the waitresses came in and exchanged dishes for the next course. She blinked at the trio of silver raised dishes in front of her, and pouted at the small icecream-like dishes.

"It's sorbet, something to cleanse your palate. We've still got more courses," Setsuna assured as she spooned her own.

"Oh, like the pickled ginger." Ranma brightened, and started eating. "Oooo, plum," she purred happily trying the red sorbet.

"You really should try the shiso. Unlike a lot of places they don't overwhelm you with mint flavor," Setsuna advised.

"I like the melon," Hotaru said before spooning some of the orange sorbet and offering it to her nanny.

"Wow," Ranma said before eating more from Hotaru's spoon.

"Yes, so Huang is going to get it. They have solid evidence on his ring." Setsuna fiddled with her spoon. "The rest, well the police don't have as much evidence, but they're fairly confident on being able to get confessions."

Ranma shrugged and sampled the shiso while Hotaru resumed snuggling on her soft nanny.

"It's up to you how hard they press. I can influence the police to try more plea-bargaining. They don't need Tendo or Saotome testimony to convict Huang, but we could play it that way. What do you want to happen?"

Ranma wrapped her arm around Hotaru and hugged her tight. "They don't get any special treatment. They think they can take some sleaze-ball's money and what? I'd have escaped it and everything would be normal a month later?" the redhead narrowed her eyes. "No, they're going to experience the consequences of their actions."

Setsuna smirked. "They might not get prison terms."

"Jail, fines, humiliating public apology, whatever," Ranma paused so Hotaru could reach up and feed her again.

Setsuna nodded in understanding. "The punishment itself doesn't matter, that it happened to them is what does?"

Ranma nodded and dabbed away a bit of melted sorbet.

'There's also your testimony, if you're willing," Setsuna gently reminded.

"Yeah, I have seen Nabiki spying on Akane, trying to find me." Ranma shrugged and finished off the last of her sorbet. "I guess I could do it."

Setsuna nodded and summoned the waitresses once again. She smirked as a large platter was put in the center of the table, with a slightly too elaborate flourish removed the cover revealing a roast duck flanked by a quartet of much smaller poultry on a bed of rice.

Ranma's eyes almost rolled back when the aroma reached her.

"Aww, how cute it's a little family," Hotaru said as she was served one of the tiny birds.

"Actually, they're not ducklings; they're poussin, very tender little chickens," Setsuna said as she motioned for Ranma to be served two poussin, almost half of the duck, and generous portions of rice.

"Oh my," Ranma said as she stared at the food before her. It was too much to resist and she resumed her steady consumption.

"Glad you like it," Setsuna said once the waitresses had left them alone again.

The redhead nodded and kept eating. She frowned slightly when Hotaru straightened up and started eating her own meal.

Ranma's pout faded slightly as she continued to eat. "You're right, this is amazingly succulent. Lovely little birds."

"Wonderful," Setsuna said after finishing her own poussin and moving onto the bit of duck.

"The rice is very good," Hotaru said as she cut a piece of breast meat and handed it to Ranma.

Setsuna smirked thinly and waited for the current course to finish. "Good?" She asked once Ranma put her flatware down.

Ranma nodded and found a silk napkin being dabbed to her mouth.

"Good, I'll call up the next meal." Setsuna pulled her napkin away. Shortly the poultry bones and dishes were cleared and replaced with a portable stove and an immense pot.

"Unfortunately, to preserve the surprise they couldn't make it here," Setsuna explained after the course was setup and their tea was refreshed.

"Oh, nabemono," Ranma smiled as the lid was removed from the pot.

"Sukiyaki specifically," Setsuna said as she filled Ranma's bowl, which was twice the size of the other ones. She smirked. "They always said you could make it on a budget, but you've never had it prepared at a place like this."

"So, that's why you didn't let me order it last time we were over," Ranma said as she looked hungrily at the bowl Setsuna was preparing for her.

"Wow, look at the pieces of beef. Mmm... lovely scallions," Hotaru sniffed as she served herself some of the slow-cooked stew.

Impatient, Ranma dug into her food as soon as Setsuna handed it over to her. The redhead almost purred at the flavor of the warming food.

"Don't wait on the broth," Setsuna offered, handing Ranma a deep spoon.

The redhead smiled demurely and took the offered implement. After the first few spoonfuls she had to stop and lean back.

"Having a good time?" Hotaru giggled.

"Oh yes," Ranma said with a sleepy smile.

"I'm glad," Setsuna said as she leaned over and discreetly adjusted Ranma's obi.

"Thanks, this is just so..." Ranma blushed at a loss of words.

"It's okay, we just want you to be happy," Setsuna said as she patted Ranma's belly.

Ranma smiled warmly and adjusted herself. She then finished her first bowl, only to have it refilled by Hotaru and then lifted up to Ranma by Setsuna. The redhead happily ate and after downing half of the bowl closed her eyes smiling contently.

Setsuna put the bowl down and watched her elegant servant smile as her adopted daughter nestled in the generous softness of the redhead. She noticed the nanny pout briefly. "What's wrong?"

"It's... too.. good," Ranma murmured.

"Don't think that, your work more than deserves this treatment," Setsuna assured, squeezing Ranma's hand.

Ranma nodded and accepted another spoon from Hotaru.

Setsuna did not want to break the scene, but she knew something was off. "What's wrong?"

"It's my mother," Ranma said with a little pout.

Setsuna nodded.

"I just don't know her. I thought I did... as some silly ninny that would come to the Tendos incompetently waving a sword, but it's all an act!" Ranma grumbled and adjusted herself, taking care not to disturb Hotaru. "It turns out she plays all of my father's old friends."

"She is a business woman, rather shrewd from what my sources tell me," Setsuna agreed.

"Yeah, I gathered that." Ranma sighed. "She can take any evidence you have and twist it around to support her argument. It's... creepy."

"Oh, the weird lady from the park?" Hotaru sleepily asked.

"Do you want to deal with her?"

Ranma opened her eyes and with all seriousness asked her question. "Do I have to?"

"No, you do whatever you want," Setsuna assured.

Ranma paused to think. How to deal with her mother? Did she even want to? She opted for the safest answer. "I want more sukiyaki," she finally said.

Setsuna laughed. "We can arrange that," she said, refilling Ranma's bowl.

Pondering as she ate, Ranma eventually reached her decision. "I do miss my mother, but... if she's just going to defend Genma forever. I don't need that kind of headache."

"Maybe she can be convinced," Setsuna offered.

"When the possibility of Genma being convicted came up... she did get a bit odd. I think," Ranma shrugged and went back to her meal. "Oh wow, this stuff is just so good."

Setsuna smirked and stole a glance at the nearly empty pot. "Well, we've only got a bit left." She filled her own bowl and Hotaru's and was pleased when the remainder filled up Ranma's.

The redhead happily murmured as she slowly ate.

"Having a good time?" Hotaru asked before eating half of her bowl. She then offered the rest of it to Ranma. One spoonful at a time.

"We'll work on your mother," Setsuna assured. "She might come around, if not." She shrugged.

Ranma smiled sleepily. "If not," Ranma paused to look at both women that flanked her. "I already have a family. Don't I?"

"Yes, yes you do," Setsuna gave a thin smirk and called for the last course.

Finishing the last from her bowl, Ranma leaned back to her favored position, and Hotaru leaned on her favored pillow.

Ranma's eyes widened when a tall chocolate structure was carted in. The cake had three layers and was trimmed in caramel frosting. The same trim spelled out a message around the circumference saying: "Welcome to the family."

The redhead grinned broadly and felt herself warm in anticipation, while Hotaru giggled. "Oh, that smells wonderful," Ranma purred.

"An advantage of calling ahead and giving the cooking staff a few hours," Setsuna smiled. Ranma's and Hotaru's reactions were worth every yen. The same lust in their eyes as they stared at the confection before them was downright amusing. Using the knife placed next to the cake, she cut three pieces. They were all the same size, and Setsuna smirked at the little pout Ranma saw at her piece.

Taking a forkful, Ranma put the moist cake in her mouth. When the caramel layered, rich chocolate hit her mouth, the redhead happily moaned and almost disturbed Hotaru from her snuggling.

After finishing her piece, Ranma gently nudged Hotaru so that she would notice and eat hers. "Wow," Hotaru said after taking her first bite.

"It's good isn't it?" Setsuna asked as she ate hers. She noticed Ranma's empty plate and then cut another, slightly larger piece for her. The redhead blushed and once again adjusted her obi.

Hotaru nodded with a big smile and looked to see her nanny already well into her second slice. The younger girl pulled her plate closer to the edge, so she could still eat while leaning on Ranma's side.

"I see it's up there with the cheesecake," Setsuna idly remarked as she offered a forkful to Ranma.

The redhead saucily winked as she joyously chewed.

"I'm sorry, I kept this secret from you," Setsuna said handing another bit of cake over. "Do you forgive me?"

Her mouth full, Ranma motioned for the older woman to get closer. Once Setsuna was in range, the redhead leaned up and hugged her. Once the hug was returned, she moved one hand from Setsuna and put it around Hotaru.

End Chapter 2

12345678987654321

OMAKE OMAKE OMAKE

Approaching the table that they had left Nodoka and Nami at, Akane and Ranma froze at the sight of two strange women who had joined them while they were in the ladies room.

"What are you two doing here?" Ranma demanded of the newcomers.

"We thought we'd stop by and say hi," the redheaded pony-tailed women in her early twenties replied mirthfully.

"And to see if you need any help," the other redhead added with a smile as she absently licking her fangs.

"Look," Ranma began firmly while putting a hand on her hip. "This is my story, I don't need any help."

"Shhhh...," the Akane whispered. "You're breaking the fourth wall."

"I don't care," Ranma said in irritation. "If I needed help with this, I would have asked."

"Man, talk about getting bent out of shape," the redheaded demon said. "We go all this way to see if you need any help..."

"And do you know how difficult it is to get here?" The pony-tailed one asked. "Especially after my story is complete? You know I don't get out anymore."

"What are you talking about? You just had some fun with me," the demon offered with a saucy wink.

Pony-tailed shook her head playfully. "Oh hush you."

"You should be more gracious," Nodoka chimed in.

"But it screws with the whole plot having them here," whined Ranma.

"I think it's too late for that," Akane commented.

"Nah," the demon said. "The authors can just remove this and it will be like it never happened."

Pony-tailed snorted. "You know them, they'll just stick it as an Omake at the end."

"Look," Ranma said while looking out at the writers as they were hunched over their computers. "It was fun to do a crossover between two crossovers, but doing a crossover between three crossovers is ridiculous."

"I have to say she does have a point there," Nami said, adding her two yen in. "I mean, three Ranmas?"

"Not to mention that it doesn't really fit in this continuum very well," Akane commented.

"Let's go Ranma," the pony-tailed redhead said to the demon while rising from her seat. "I know when I'm not welcome."

"Right behind you," the demon redhead said. "Besides there's no decent demons to eat in this story anyway."

"Always thinking with your stomach," the pony-tailed Ranma quipped.

"I can think with other things," the demon purred as she rubbed herself on the other redhead's body.

"Ooooo...," the other redhead playfully cooed while letting her hands roam sensually over the demon's body.

"Ewww... get a room!" Nami said loudly.

"You perverts! Your both... you," Akane pointed out in outrage. "That's like incest or something."

"No it's not," the demon said plainly. "It's more like masturbation."

A dreadful silence fell for a few heartbeats.

"GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" Ranma roared. "GO BACK TO YOUR OWN STORIES!"

"Party pooper," the pony-tailed one huffed as she summoned a sword out of nowhere and created a hole in space/time with it. "Talk about someone who is too uptight."

"Perhaps we should stay and help her," commented the other, making the pony-tailed one pause.

"You mean get her laid? That would help her-" was as far as the other got before she and her accomplice were thrown psychically through the opening. It closed behind them with a "pop".

"Jerks," Ranma huffed as she brushed her hands off.

"What a couple of perverts," Akane commented.

"You said it," Nami agreed while Nodoka nodded.

"Now... where were we?" Ranma asked, hoping to get the story back on track.

"It's too late for that," Nodoka said while looking at her watch. "It's after five, we'll have to come back and wrap this up tomorrow."

"Damn, I hate having to come back," Ranma said. "Having to get into the mood and everything all over again."

"Well... the mood was lost anyway," Nami said as she gathered her purse. "And the authors don't pay overtime. So - who's up for some partying and dancing?"

"I am," Nodoka said as she rose from her seat. "We'll see you both tomorrow."

"Hang on, I'll come with you," Akane said.

Ranma sighed. "Oh what the heck, I'm game.

2nd OMAKE OMAKE OMAKE

by J St C Patrick

"I would like to have you as a friend Akane," Ranma said as she offered a breadstick to her. She was much relieved when Akane accepted and even took a bite. "I don't have too many friends... friends that know me as well as you do. I could really use more in my life and I thought maybe... you wouldn't mind?"

Swallowing her bite of breadstick, Akane paused to take a long sip of her drink. This gave her time to think of how to respond. "I think... I saw this coming Ranma," she finally said. "I mean, like you said, a lot has changed."

"So... are you a girl now?" Akane asked from across the table.

"I...," Ranma began, only to stop. Seconds dragged onto minutes before Akane prompted.

"Ranma?"

"I know I'm more comfortable like I am," Ranma conceded, then paused. "I don't know if the curse has anything to do with it - but I'm happier and more in control of my life than I ever had been. It may be a coincidence... I don't know..." Ranma voice drifted off before picking up again. "I can't see myself as a total girl, though

Internally, Akane found some sense of relief in that last statement. "So, how do you see yourself?"

Ranma scrunched up her face as she wore a look of thoughtfulness, the look made her look adorable. After several seconds, Ranma replied. "I haven't exactly figured that out myself - yet. But it'll come to me in time."

Silence fell between the two. It was like neither one really wanted to know what the real answer to that question was.

"I'm sure... I'm sure it will," Akane sighed, sadly.

Ranma blushed. "I'm sorry, but..."

"No I'm not mad at you. You've changed. We've changed. You're right. I think of you as a girl too." Akane chewed her lip.

"What then?"

"I've been seeing policemen," Akane remarked.

"What! I've only just given you the let's be friends speech and now you reveal you've already been seeing other guys!" huffed Ranma.

Again a silence fell between them. Akane picked at her lasagna and tried not to meet the redhead's eyes.

Ranma played with her recalcitrant curl for a moment, then asked, "Are they cute?"

Author's Notes:

We'd like to thank the prereaders for their help in this project: J St C Patrick, DCG, Wray, Terra, Ikarus, PH Wise, and Jerry Starfire. They were great on working on this chapter.

We'd also like to thank the fukufics C&C board. They were very helpful in cleaning this chapter up some.

Special thanks go to J St C Patrick and Wray for their repeated runs through this chapter finding typos and other inconsistencies. They went above and beyond chewing through this huge things. We thank you two, again.


End file.
